The design of Milan’s Metro Lines 1 and 2 is a milestone in the history of Italian design. This project earned ATM, Franco Albini, Franca Helg, and Bob Noorda the prestigious Compasso d’Oro award in 1964 and introduced the concepts of coordinated image and standardization.
One of its most recognizable elements is the continuous perimeter band in the stations, where the station name is repeated every five meters to ensure readability from a moving train. For the signage, Noorda redesigned Helvetica, creating a custom typeface that now bears his name.
The expansion of stations and lines over time, along with the need to comply with safety regulations and introduce new services, led ATM to initiate a comprehensive signage and wayfinding refresh starting in the mid-2000s.
“Inarea began with the design of Garibaldi Station. It was both stimulating and rewarding to engage with a project like the Milan Metro, which we approached with respect and historical accuracy,” explains Niccolò Desii, Design Director and Partner at Inarea, who has been overseeing the collaboration with ATM for the past twenty years.
Signage and Type Design: Interpreting an Icon
“We found an interview with Bob Noorda in which he stated that he had wanted to create a lowercase typeface for the Milan Metro. Newer stations with longer names, as well as simple directional messages such as ‘to trains’ or ‘exit,’ required a lowercase typeface for better readability.
We developed a font, Metro Type, based on Noorda’s original design, to be used for textual elements on panels, informational signs, and station regulations—essentially, a tool that would allow ATM to communicate in a consistent and cohesive manner.
We also undertook a complex update of the signage manual to better integrate the early Metro lines with Line M3, which had introduced discontinuities in elements such as sign architecture and lighting. During that period, the Noorda studio was brought back in to work on updating the typeface.
As a result, ATM ended up with two typefaces: Noorda’s original font for station signage and Inarea’s Metro Type for other textual information. However, both coexist harmoniously, as Metro Type was developed as a faithful evolution of the iconic 1964 design.”
Rules and Wayfinding for a Timeless Design
“After working on the signage and wayfinding for Garibaldi Station, we went on to design the systems for ten more Metro stations. Over time, we have continued to update signage, vehicle liveries, and surface transport elements, culminating in our work on Line M4, where we created the updated mobility map.
We developed a set of simple rules and algorithms to ensure the coherent, uniform, and functional distribution of signage within each station. This approach prevents an overload of information in narrow or high-traffic areas while ensuring that signs are strategically placed at key junctions—or, when distances are significant, as confirmation markers along the route.
For major interchange stations where multiple lines intersect, we established general guidelines. The handbook outlines key specifications, such as luminescence levels and whether signs should be positioned orthogonally or laterally to entry points.
Additionally, we redesigned the pictograms and more technical regulatory signage, making it easier for those managing the system to categorize information and plan the future distribution of signs within station spaces.”