Are Torontonians lucky to have the TTC? Or is it the other way around? In 2005, Spacing magazine introduced a series of buttons commemorating Toronto's subway lines - featuring tiles and type unique to each of the stations. Believe it or not, the TTC actually opted not to market these pins. The TTC's loss was the city's gain. Smart, hip and city-proud these buttons show Toronto at its best: in the hands of its citizens. Available at Swipe books.

"Sweet ride promised in $1.22B streetcars" says the Toronto Star.
"Bombardier wins massive Toronto streetcar contract" says the Globe and Mail.

Yes indeed, this is good news - good news for transit, for manufacturing in Ontario (the new cars will be made in Thunder Bay) and for Toronto.

Can transit be sexy? When it looks like this, it can be. (The livery shown in Bombardier's handout could use some design though).

The new streetcars are great example of what the "product" on the street needs to be, in order to steal the glamour that cars have always had in North America and to convert drivers to riders.

Bombardier's The Streetcar Redefined website does a pretty good job of showing off the Flexity streetcar in use around the world - but I think it could do a better job of showing the world exactly how sexy public transit can be.


Images made available for download by Bombardier.
Article and blog, copyright Gavin Barrett 2009

A simple, effective campaign done in 2002 by Aaron Kwapisinski, a young art director friend of mine, for the now defunct agency Flavour. In his own words "We took the cost of all the things one would fork out annually in order to maintain their vehicle and compared it to the cost of riding the TTC for a year. The difference was enough to illustrate the benefits." Thanks for sending this in Aaron.

Art Directors: Aaron Kwapisinski & Drew Pautler
Writer: Karin Djelaj
Creative Directors: Craig Cooper & Briony Wilson



Article and blog, copyright Gavin Barrett 2008.