Two Train Nerds Launch Design Studio, Set to Release “Live Subway Map” Piece for Six US Cities

Train-tracking decor piece Metroboard features a mid-century design and displays live locations of all trains in NYC, D.C., Boston, Chicago, LA, and Bay Area subways.

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The Design Rules Company, a Los Angeles-based design studio founded on the heels of its two founders’ descent into public-transit obsession, is preparing to launch its first product, a live subway map for the home. Tech-art piece Metroboard uses LEDs arranged in the layout of a city’s subway system to indicate the location of trains in real-time.

Data is retrieved directly from the respective city’s transit agency and lights are lit to correspond to the color of the particular subway line. The maps launch at the end of September, 2024.

The Design Rules Company (DRC) was started by Kirill Safin and Emily Rock, who met working in aerospace. Upon the LA Metro Regional Connector’s opening (just across the street from their apartment!) they switched focus from flying vehicles to land-bound ones to create a Metroboard prototype for LA, then fell even more deeply in love with transit and founded the studio to create maps for five additional cities.

“This project started as a sort of celebration of what transit can do for a community. Now that we have easy access to Metro, we take it almost everywhere. I actually just sold my car, which feels almost heretical in LA. There’s something really human about traveling with other people and experiencing a city in a person-sized and designed way” says Safin.

Metroboard‘s look was based on a vintage CRAIG stereo from the 1970’s the pair had in their apartment. The board has a solid walnut frame with high-detail miter joints and an aluminum panel with holes for the LEDs denoting stations.

“We’re just kind of tickled by walnut and aluminum in combination. They’re beautiful and work well in so many spaces. It doesn’t bring attention to itself, but when you look at it, you’re charmed,” says Safin.

A low-detail map is drawn on the panel to indicate the lines, directions, and station names. The rear panel has buttons to configure settings like brightness, color, and update rate. DRC hopes to expand to include other US cities as well as major international cities in the future.

The pair visited all six US cities this summer in a month-long cross-country trip taken entirely via Amtrak. They had a chance to ride all six systems, explore each unique city, and meet even more train enthusiasts on the road.

Metroboard will be available for order next month on Kickstarter. For interested parties, DRC recommends placing a $3 reservation on their website (www.designrules.co), which gives customers $80 off the full retail price of $229, for an early-bird price of $150. Additional perks include an exclusive souvenir for reservation holders, a “very cool” welcome letter in the mail, and priority shipping.

ABOUT US

The Design Rules Company (DRC) is a two-person design studio based in Downtown Los Angeles founded by Kirill Safin and Emily Rock. Their first product is Metroboard, a live subway map with a mid-century design.

For more information, visit www.designrules.co or get in touch via [email protected].

Media Contact:
Kirill Safin
(213) 222-6459
[email protected]

SOURCE The Design Rules Company