The Subway Commuter’s Lunch Bag

Marti Zabell, a graduate industrial design student at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY has designed a subway commuter lunch bag and shares with us her design process on this cool utilitarian bag.

Marti says, “The bag was inspired by the graphic signs of the New York City MTA that were designed by Massima and Lela Vignelli. The subway signs were developed to be proportional to the information that they pertain. A sign that is 1′ X 1′ shows the subway line letter, or an arrow. A 1′ X 2′ sign shows information, a 1′ X 4′ sign shows direction, and a 1′ X 8′ sign shows the station name. With these facts in mind, I designed the bag so that it is 4″ X 16″ which fits into the 1′ X 4′ “direction” ratio. The exterior of the lunchbag is made out of black cotton canvas with a vinyl stripe. The interior in lined in a vinyl water-resistant fabric. The bag has three small pockets on the inside (made out of water-resistant cotton), an elastic drink holder, and a hidden flap pocket. The bag can store one’s lunch and reading material, and is lightweight enough for the busy commuter. The bag mold’s to the commuter’s body and he/she can even reach into it to take their food/drink out while still wearing the bag. I plan on developing more versions of this bag because it is simple, pratical and comfortable.” Link.