A map legend, or map key, is an explanation of the symbols or pictorial language and convention of the map. Fine white outlines around only those symbols that overlap, subtle haloes and abbreviated labels at small scales which switch to full names at large scale are examples of a high attention to detail. A great example is the … The examples are neither definitive, nor exhaustive and should act as a starting point to explore design in cartography from those who have managed to set the bar high. The typography is beautifully set and the map has a soft, photo-realistic feel that adds visual impact. National Geographic. Figure 11. The main hooded and mysterious character is seen running through the neighbourhood the viewer specified, across satellite images and amidst rotating Street Views. Sans serif type is a good choice to tie in with the clean regular lines of the map itself and transparency allows large labels to be placed unobtrusively. Swiss cartography is renowned for its accuracy, quality and artistry and no collection of the best topographic maps could ignore them. The color transition of the landscape from the vivid green plateaus to the ocher red canyon arms to the deep brown-grey valleys and turquoise waters creates a stunning contrast. You are telling a story through maps. The map is made entirely out of human relationships. It paints a fascinating picture as the OpenStreetMap movement captures and publishes new features from single roads to entire countries. Dorling Kindersley were one of the first to use satellite imagery linked to maps and as hybrid map/satellite image illustrations. What is good map design? The example here illustrates the hand drawn style used throughout his 59 walking guides and publications, each one painstakingly detailed using pen and ink based on his own surveys. The Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, Vol 1-7, Westmorland gazette, Kendal, Walter, S. (2008) The Island. Geological Map of London and its Environs by R.W. A good designer knows how to get into the mindset of his users, and turns their needs into a meaningful, desirable, and easy-to-use product or service. Ordinary stations (marked as ticks) were differentiated from interchanges (diamonds, later to be replaced by circles). And what of our own favorites? (1988) Mount Everest–Surveying the Third Pole. https://speckyboy.com/collection-inspiring-sitemaps-user-flow-maps The black background contrasts well with the almost fluorescent lines to create a fiber-optic appearance that lights up the globe. Data Blog at The Guardian) produce data dumps that are the antithesis of design. 174 (11). Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps. 16 Inspiring Examples of Interactive Maps in Web Design Rhys Little January 22, 2013 2 Comments 1 1.2k Interactive maps can be a a great way of displaying useful information in an engaging and attractive way by inviting the user to take action. Ito! Figure 1. Vertical exaggeration is used to give a sense of the skyscrapers soaring. Figure 5. The map labels don’t dominate even though they add important contextual statistics. The Google Maps API underpinned the democratization of online mapping to allow anyone to create geographically contextualized mashups. The prudent use of labels to identify major cities is just enough to support interpretation and the leader lines tie them well to the map, clearing the map itself of labeling. Web domains can be evaluated based on their position (proximity to a main line or hub representing importance), height (success measured in traffic, revenue and media attention) and width (stability as a business entity). The foreground of the map is almost planimetric which curves across away from the point of view to a horizon depicting the mountains in profile. The map exaggerates the detailed central area and contracts the external areas. Innovative design can both be a break-through product or service, and a redesign of an existing product or service. He asks “what might the locality of friendship look like between users of facebook” and takes the links between facebook user’s location and the location of their friends, plots a black-blue-white great circle arc between them and the result is a detailed map of the world. Washburn, B. It was compiled from NASA Lunar Orbiter and Apollo photographs and Soviet Zond photographs as well as geochemical and geophysical data obtained from orbiting spacecraft to show the detailed geological character of the Moon in glorious detail. As a means of stirring debate and controversy, these types of map are a particularly provocative way of capturing the imagination. It’s a highly illustrative and engaging form that draws the eye in to explore the interplay between figures and parts of the map. The Geographer’s Map Company was started in 1936 and is now the largest independent map publishing company in the UK (http://www.az.co.uk/). Pearsall proofread, designed and drew the map with the help of a single draftsman. Other versions exist such as Constantine Anderson’s 1985 map and Tadashi Ishihara’s version from 2000 (Codex99, 2011). Figure 29. The world of H. C. Berannhttp://www.berann.com/ (accessed 18 January 2012), Tufte, E. (1990) Envisioning Information, Graphic Press, Cheshire, Tufte, E (2001). Angling in Troubled Waters: a Serio-Comic map of Europe by Fred W Rose published by GW Bacon, 1899. The location icons look really nice and blend in perfectly in the map’s design. I love this! Mylne, 1871. Thanks to Pattern Tap for making the process of searching by design element relatively painless (even though it doesn’t yet have a map section). The specification has been applied to many other geographies that the US mapped during military operations which demonstrates a high level of flexibility and versatility in the design. Whether it's a mobile phone, a vacuum cleaner or a chair, the very best examples of industrial design seamlessly blend form and function to make products truly desirable. By showing map-makers a range of high quality cartographic work we aim to provide exemplars that demonstrate how design affects a map and expertly marries from with function. Graphics Press, Cheshire, Vinten-Johansen, P. (2006) The John Snow Archive and Research Companion http://johnsnow.matrix.msu.edu (accessed 19 January 2012), Wainwright, A. Figure 14. The map on the left is at a scale of approximately 1:24,000, and shows a small portion of downtown Denver. Enjoy! The map informed the design of an extensive underground sewerage system that drained downstream of the centre of population. The authors wish to thank the cartographic experts who took part in our survey and offered their top 10 well designed maps. The Trend Setters are labeled using speech bubbles as if they are saying their name and other labeling works well to support differentiation of major trends. The border separating China and India is so subtle it looks like it is actually painted on the ridgelines. Colours identify regions that emerge through analysis with the dark colour for London allowing lines connecting it with elsewhere to be clearly seen across lighter regions. For instance, secondary roads widen at particular scales when you overlay traffic information to show each direction of traffic flow. This creates a strong figural component positioned central to the map page that suggests the page (and fracture zone itself) splitting down the middle. Updated: 4 … The white US country background provides a neutral landscape for the buildings to emerge from. Figure 18. Embed Google Maps or another map of your choice. J., Slingsby. Maps based entirely on typography are abstract representations of a landscape and have been used effectively as fills for land use and through repetition for linear networks. The use of colour in particular to vary label meaning, show quantities, represent or imitate reality and to decorate visually enlivens the map. 1:100,000 Topographic Map of Switzerland (extract Beromunster sheet 65-3950-32) by Swisstopo, 2002. Five of the main design principles are legibility, visual contrast, figure-ground organization, hierarchical organization, and balance. Figure 16. The survey asked participants to present their top ten most expertly designed maps from throughout history. motorway networks) in many street atlases. Figure 30. Prepared for The London Design Festival in 2006 (NB Studio, 2006) as a commentary on social space, the large format poster went on to win the design week awards in 2007. The long distance curves contrast well with the shorter, almost straight, lines of local connections to create an intriguing spider-web pattern. A. and Dykes. Konferenz der kantonalen Erziehungsdirektoren, Zurich, Imhof, E. (1982) Cartographic relief representation, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin, republished by Esri Press, 2007, London School of Economics and Political Science (2002) Charles Booth Online Archive http://booth.lse.ac.uk/ (accessed 19 January 2012), Mullen, C. (2010) John Ogilby’s Britannia, 1675 http://www.fulltable.com/vts/m/map/ogilby/mna.htm (accessed 19 January 2012), National Geographic (2012) Bradford and Barbara Washburn http://www.nationalgeographic.com/explorers/bios/washburns/ (accessed 18 January 2012), NB Studio (2006) ISTD London’s Kerning http://www.nbstudio.co.uk/projects/istd-londons-kerning (accessed 18 January 2012), New York Times (2008) In the shadow of foreclosures http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2008/04/05/business/20080406_METRICS.html (accessed 19 January 2012), Ratti, C., Sobolevsky, S., Calabrese, F.,  Andris, C., Reades, J, Martino, M., Claxton, R., Strogatz, S. H. (2010) Redrawing the Map of Great Britain from a Network of Human Interactions, PLoS ONE, 5, 12, e14248. For larger sites, when user experience is paramount, creating an initial sitemap or user flow map is an effective way of working out how you want visitors to use and navigate around. Figure 19. This example of a multivariate cartogram by Dorling (1991, 1994) does just that. Not so much a map as a digital product that records every single fixed feature of Great Britain in a contiguous database, MasterMap® represents the most detailed, consistent and up-to-date geographical database of any country at a scale of 1:1250. Each domain is assigned to individual stations on the Tokyo Metro map in ways that complement the characters of each (Reichenstein, 2009). The map helps the user refine their search (five star donuts in a two block radius). Debates between the authors have been interesting and stimulating and served to prove that excellence in cartographic design is at least in part, in the eye of the beholder. As a painter, he used his artistic talent to invent a new way of painting landscapes for the purposes of tourist mapping. Of course, the list can never be complete and in compiling the examples presented, we have had to reject many which might have equal merit. The 39 maps presented here are by no means definitive or exhaustive but represent the broad consensus of 20 cartographers acknowledged in their field. Figure 38. Mind Map Example 10: 60 Second Map. Interactive webGL map In Maps, Geolocation, StreetView. The colour palette is extraordinarily vivid and works well against pure black. First published in 1856 in a period of great change in the understanding of public health and disease in cities, this was an important map in its day. Contours not only provide useful information but add to the representation of the 3rd dimension (Garland, 1991). Heinrich Berann’s work is predominantly in the panoramic style of mapping. Now in its 39th edition (http://www.melway.com.au/), the map was created in response to shortcomings in available directories at the time. 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