Maps: Cartography & Typography
This is a collection of maps I've designed since 2000. In my maps, I explore everything from the editorial nature of maps to the role of typography in communicating the spirit (or politics) of place. I started out trying to make maps that appear more traditional. These are made out of a love of maps and as a way to learn from the many amazing cartographers that came before me. I typically make these as a record of a place I've visited or as a present for friends. Most of these eventually get printed and framed so paper is the intended medium.
The other style I am trying to develop is more original and contemporary. Many years ago, when I was preparing a map of Manahttan to be silk screened, I noticed that the typography layer was enough to capture the essence of the city... the fabric of the streets and its relationship to the surrounding water and landmarks. I made a few experiments at the time and then forgot about them until a couple of years ago. The Silk Road was my first attempt at exploring these ideas further. The maps in this series are intended to be art experiments with typography.
Maps are a very interesting media type. They exist somewhere between images that we look at and documents that we read. Their reference to the real world often hides their subjective, if not political, nature. A couple of friends have commented, "What's left to be mapped?". It may simply be the perspective of an insider but I think there is so much more to map... if only to see the same places with new eyes.
I've included fairly detailed descriptions of the inspiration or objective of each map. I am very interested in getting people's reactions to the maps so please comment. I've adjusted the post dates of my blog to the approximate creation dates of my maps so please click on the archive links on the right. There are a total of about 10 or 12 maps. More to come.
This is a collection of maps I've designed since 2000. In my maps, I explore everything from the editorial nature of maps to the role of typography in communicating the spirit (or politics) of place. I started out trying to make maps that appear more traditional. These are made out of a love of maps and as a way to learn from the many amazing cartographers that came before me. I typically make these as a record of a place I've visited or as a present for friends. Most of these eventually get printed and framed so paper is the intended medium.
The other style I am trying to develop is more original and contemporary. Many years ago, when I was preparing a map of Manahttan to be silk screened, I noticed that the typography layer was enough to capture the essence of the city... the fabric of the streets and its relationship to the surrounding water and landmarks. I made a few experiments at the time and then forgot about them until a couple of years ago. The Silk Road was my first attempt at exploring these ideas further. The maps in this series are intended to be art experiments with typography.
Maps are a very interesting media type. They exist somewhere between images that we look at and documents that we read. Their reference to the real world often hides their subjective, if not political, nature. A couple of friends have commented, "What's left to be mapped?". It may simply be the perspective of an insider but I think there is so much more to map... if only to see the same places with new eyes.
I've included fairly detailed descriptions of the inspiration or objective of each map. I am very interested in getting people's reactions to the maps so please comment. I've adjusted the post dates of my blog to the approximate creation dates of my maps so please click on the archive links on the right. There are a total of about 10 or 12 maps. More to come.
Labels: cartography, map
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