In 1980 Josef Müller-Brockmann created a key component for a uniform visual identity of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) with his legendary Visual Information System for Railway Stations and Stops. In view of Switzerland’s multilingualism, the concept, which was developed in dialog with SBB’s chief architect Uli Huber, proposes a signage system that largely dispenses with language. Composed of a vast library of pictograms it is intuitively comprehensible and still dominates the railways’ visual identity today. Müller-Brockmann’s manual, greatly expanded in 1992 and given the title Passenger Information System, is a prime example of a complex design project that has succeeded due to its extreme rationality and consistency. It thus serves as a compass for designers worldwide in their daily work. This reprint contains an English translation, making the manual accessible for the first time to a broader public. Andres Janser examines the project in the context of Müller-Brockmann’s conceptual work and the systematic international design for which railways everywhere were striving during the period.