In 1955 the New Haven Railroad undertook a multi-faceted program to help change its corporate image through the use of graphic design principals. This effort, which was supervised by Lucille McGinnis, the artistically trained wife of New Haven president Patrick McGinnis, was actually implemented by Herbert Matter with the assistance of Norman Ives. Both Matter and Ives were professional graphic designers who taught at Yale University. The full details of the New Haven's corporate image design program, which was the first of its kind to be undertaken by a railroad company, are presented in my book The New Haven Railroad in the McGinnis Era, which is NOW AVAILABLE!
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This Pilgrim Tours folder from early 1955 demonstrates the basic problem with many New Haven Railroad advertising pieces created before the McGinnis era corporate image design program. Nowhere on the front cover of this folder is there any indication that it is a New Haven Railroad publication. In fact, the front cover design might lead you to believe that it was actually put out by a steamship company! From the standpoint of corporate identification, this folder was clearly a failure. |
| Only after turning to the back cover of the folder shown above does it become apparent that it is a New Haven Railroad publication. Although this Pilgrim Tours folder is an extreme example, it demonstrates the lack of critical thinking concerning many New Haven advertising materials before the McGinnis era corporate image design program. |  |
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The New Haven's new graphic image began to appear on promotional materials during April 1955. Compare this Pilgrim Tours folder with the example shown above. Note that the railroad's name is prominently displayed on the front cover, providing immediate recognition for the sponsoring company. Also, note the new 'NH' logo, which at this early stage of the game is bisected by artwork of a high-speed passenger train. President Patrick McGinnis had promised to bring high-speed passenger service to the Boston - New York City corridor. Such trains were still at least a year or two away during the spring of 1955. This hybrid 'NH' logo, which only appeared through June 1955, served to keep the coming high-speed trains in the public eye. |
| By the early summer of 1955 Herbert Matter had derived a basic graphic design formula for advertising material on the New Haven Railroad. The formula involved the use of red-orange and black text on white paper with a prominent 'NH' logo. Advertising pieces designed by Herbert Matter's assistant Norman Ives, such as this example, were usually keynoted with graphics from old woodcuts. |  |
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This small folder, which outlined the New Haven's on-train smoking policy, demonstrates an alternative graphic design formula developed by Herbert Matter during the latter half of 1955. Note that in this case the 'NH' logo is still the center of attention, the railroad's name is still prominent, but the new red-orange, white, and black corporate color scheme has a much greater emphasis. |
| This medical insurance plan folder demonstrates yet another of Herbert Matter's new image designs for New Haven Railroad paperwork. Matter was very particular about the proportions and presentation of the 'NH' logo. When it was all one color, as seen in all the folders shown above, a small gap was placed between the 'N' and the 'H'. When the 'N' and 'H' were different colors, as seen here, the 'N' was placed directly on top of the 'H' without a gap. |  |
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This Camera-Cycle Train folder from June 1955 has the 'NH' logo but is missing the white that was normally a feature of advertising materials from this period of time. It is possible that this folder was designed in-house by the New Haven's own employees, not by Herbert Matter or Norman Ives. It was at about this time that Herbert Matter was appointed Director of Design for the New Haven Railroad, a job that charged him with the responsibility of keeping all advertising and other paperwork in character with the railroad's new corporate image. |
| This New Haven Railroad 'Seashore Tours' folder from the summer of 1955 is another Norman Ives creation. Note the ducks, which were taken from an old woodcut. |  |
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This folder advertising one day excursion trips to Martha's Vineyard from the summer of 1955 was designed by Herbert Matter. Note the extra emphasis given to the new 'NH' logo, which is not only presented in jumbo size, but twice. In this case, it looks like Matter expected the logos to stand in for the railroad's name. Note also that the blue has been substituted for black. This may have been a printer's error as the New Haven's new corporate colors were red-orange, black, and white and at this stage of the corporate image design project most graphic articles stuck to these colors. |
| This mid-year corporate performance report, which was sent to stockholders during the late summer of 1955, was derived from the cover that Herbert Matter designed for the New Haven's 1954 annual report. The principal difference between this cover and the 1954 annual report is that the annual report was done in black & white. |  |
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This charge card application from the late summer of 1955 demonstrates that Herbert Matter's preferred graphic design formula of red-orange and black text and prominent 'NH' logo was adaptable to any kind of form employed by the railroad. |
| This Broadway Show Train folder from the early fall of 1955 demonstrates Matter's preferred graphic design formula of red-orange and black text on white paper with a prominent 'NH' logo. |  |
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This American Legion special train itinerary from October 1955 demonstrates a minor variation of the basic red-orange and black text on white paper favored by Herbert Matter during the early months of the new corporate image design program. Note that the 'NH' logo in this case is red-orange instead of the usual black. |
| This New York weekend excursion fares folder from the late fall of 1955 demonstrates another variation of Herbert Matter's preferred graphic formula consisting of red-orange and black text on white paper with a prominent 'NH' logo. In such cases, the 'NH' logo was sized to take up about a third of the 'real estate' on the cover. |  |
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Though similar in design to the folder shown directly above, this Pilgrim Tour Winter Vacations folder from December 1955 strayed a bit from Herbert Matter's new image corporate color scheme by replacing red-orange with blue. |
| This Ladies Day shopping train folder from January 1956 returns to the basic red-orange and black text on white paper with 'NH' from the early days of the new corporate image design project. |  |
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This Educational Tours folder from February 1956 may have been one of the last advertising pieces designed for the New Haven by Herbert Matter. Matter's railroad consulting contract was terminated during late January or early February 1956. |
| Upon Herbert Matter's departure from the New Haven during late January or early February 1956 most graphic design tasks reverted back to railroad employees. The railroad employees often strayed from Matter's red-orange, black, and white new image corporate color scheme, as seen in this railroad-designed Pilgrim Tours folder from the spring of 1956. However, the new image 'NH' and much of the spirit of Matter's graphic formulas remained. |  |