Metro
Passenger Transport
YEAR 2084
The Metro is an underground rapid transit system, serving an unnamed megacity on planet Earth.
Overview: The Metro Visual Identity
Figure 1.1 Metro wayfinding signage seen as Quaid descends stairs.
Figure 1.2 Behind a contemplative Richter, a clear view of the Metro logo.
Analysis: The Metro Identity
In the first half of Total Recall, as Douglas Quaid navigates the city on Earth, we see him using the Metro rapid transit system.
When he first descends stairs to the Metro underground, we get a look at some of the illuminated wayfinding signage (Figure 1.1), which feature the Metro logo and type set in Eurostile Bold Extended. Focusing on the Metro logo itself, we find that it also uses Eurostile Bold Extended for its “M” letterform, which is reveresed out of a rectangle with three rounded corners. And in the “METRO” wordmark (Figure 1.1) we see the logo serving as the first letter in the word, the rest set in Eurostile Bold Extended, with the exception of the R—for some reason they used a custom letter here.
In the Metro Security zone, we see signage again (Figure 2.1) and security personnel in green fatigues, on which they wear identifying patches and name badges (Figure 2.4). On sites sharing original movie props, I was able to find both the patch and the name badge as a reference for my approximations of the designs, seen in the Overview section. Later, the film affords a good look at the patches when Quaid goes through the x-ray (literally) during a chase scene where he is running from members of “The Agency” (Figures 2.5 and 2.6).
An interesting side note: the Metro scenes from Total Recall were filmed in Mexico City’s Metro, which used a system designed by Lance Wyman in 1969 (Figures 3.2 and 3.4). Looking at that colorful design, it makes Total Recall’s drab Metro design look even more dystopian by comparison (Figures 3.1 and 3.3).
Usage: Wayfinding and Security
Figure 2.1 A sign for Metro Security can be seen in the background, as Quaid approaches the “safety zone” checkpoint.
Figure 2.2 An odd piece of signage, with a heavier Eurostile and the logo reversed to a positive form, which doesn’t conform to the overall design system the film establishes with other Metro pieces.
Figure 2.3 Signage pointing to the Metro underground.
Figure 2.4 Metro Security personnel wearing patches and name badges that feature the logo in green and brown.
Figure 2.5 A closer look at the Metro Security logo as seen on the patch.
Figure 2.6 Another instance of the Metro Security patch and name badge.
Future Scenario vs Reality
Figure 3.1 Quaid ascends stairs in the gray and drab Metro of Total Recall’s dystopian future.
Figure 3.2 The Mexico City Metro where Total Recall’s Metro scenes were shot, in its original colors with wayfinding signage designed by Lance Wyman. Source: Lance Wyman: The Monograph
Figure 3.3 A panicked Quaid ascends an escalator, with gray architecture and monotone Metro wayfinding signage visible in the background.
Figure 3.4 Colorful signage featuring Mexico City’s Metro logo and wayfinding icons—parts of a comprehensive identity system designed by Lance Wyman. Source: Lance Wyman: The Monograph