The New York Times City Room blog discusses the temporary inclusion of the 9/11 Memorial’s design trademark into NY City’s subway signage, which until now has strictly adhered to using a white on black background, Helvetica only font.

John Tauranac, a New York historian who was the manager of passenger information at the transportation authority from 1982 to 1987, is also concerned that the memorial’s stylized twin-tower logo may lead to golden arches on subway signs one day.

The 9/11 Memorial has built brand awareness widely, through signs like this at a McDonald’s. “Informational clutter is worse than plain old visual clutter,” Mr. Tauranac said in an e-mail, “in part because it can come down to a matter of life and death in an emergency. If the 9/11 Memorial is included, shouldn’t Battery Park City in general be represented, and if Battery Park City, why not the World Financial Center, or one of its components, or even the new W Hotel? Where will it stop?”

I think it can stop at the 9/11 Memorial trademark. One exception doesn’t necessarily mandate many exceptions and it’s a long way from the 9/11 Memorial trademark to the Golden Arches. Some of the registrations for the 9/11 Memorial can be found here, here and here.

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