New York City has been praised as an easy to navigate city with it’s simple grid system and numbered streets. All you need to know is the cross street of any location in Manhattan and you know weather to north, south, east, or west. Although, if you have ever spent any time traveling around the big apple you have made one simple mistake many times. That mistake is walking in the opposite direction that you intended when exiting a subway station even fooling life long new yorkers at times. You are not to blame because this is essentially a flip of a coin every time.

What is almost as frustrating as this problem is the incredibly simple speculative solution that I say to myself each time. “Why don’t they have a compass at each exit?” The city is already based on the cardinal directions. There is an east and west, numbers rise as you go north, and avenues start from the east. Residents and tourists already understand this and being pointed in the right direction would be second nature.

This also does not have to be complex or expensive. Ideally, a compass would be put out at the exit of every subway station. An easily repeatable and inexpensive way to create these would be with mask and paint. This simple method will ensure the mass extension of these solutions. The symbol will be as recognizable and clear as any sign on the street but placed on the floor directly when commuters reach the sidewalk. With an inspired brand identity of the MTA’s typography these wayfinding tools will mold themselves into the fabric of Manhattan’s bustling streets. By staying tightly to the clean and easy to understand branding of the existing subway system commuters and tourists alike will have no growing pains to the solution they always needed.