New York graphic designer Lance Wyman, called on to do a map of the Metro system, wanted to represent each Metro stop with a pictogram to assist non-English-speaking tourists in navigating the city.
Wheaton would have been a sheaf of wheat; Dupont Circle would have shown the Dupont fountain; Rosslyn, the Key Bridge.
In his suggestions, suburbs were often designated with symbols nodding to their agricultural roots: cherries (Clarendon), windmill (Forest Glen), and a tobacco barrel (Springfield).
Had the map plan been implemented, Metro would have needed new pictograms for later stations: Would the Largo Town Center station be a dollar sign representing an expensive afternoon at nearby FedEx Field?
