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Friends, you might remember that, last year, I wrote to you about how I was finally able to see a dream I’d had for many years come true: bringing together a bunch of map creators onto a single website. I had hoped that this would only be the beginning of our cooperation with each other. … Continue reading Map of the Month: An Experiment →
Though it’s been about a week since we sent it out there, I just recalled that I haven’t alerted all of you to the 2025 edition of the freelance cartographer survey that Aly Ollivierre and I conduct. Due to popular demand, we are going to try conducting it annually, rather than biennially. This survey is … Continue reading 2025 AFC Freelancer Survey →
Friends, I’m excited to share that I have just completed a world physical map, in my new asymmetric monstrosity projection. It’s free to download, or if you want to buy a 30″ × 20″ print, you can also do that (and I will be pleasantly surprised). If you download it and print it yourself, I … Continue reading A Usefully Useless Projection →
I know it’s short notice, but I wanted to let you all know that I’m doing a livestream tomorrow. It’s been well over 2½ years since my last one. I’ll be covering a few monochrome maps I made for an upcoming book. Please come on by to ask questions, offer feedback, and share your thoughts … Continue reading Going Live →
More in cartography
Yes, yes, maps are spatial communication devices and we can obsess over precision and clarity. But it all depends on your map’s purpose. Maps are also designed objects so they can carry within them the power of sentiment. Memory, joy, nostalgia. Or just plain old wonder and curiosity. Here’s how you can create a charming …
I didn’t have a proper vacation in awhile. Then, unexpectedly, I had abundant time on my hands. I also needed to bring a kid home from Michigan State University who just finished the first year of a graduate program. So I planned a delightfully inefficient route through rural eastern Ohio to build my County Counting […] The post Taming the Frontier, Part 1 appeared first on Twelve Mile Circle - An Appreciation of Unusual Places.
There was no Map of the Week last week. That is because I was on vacation in northern Italy with my wife and brother in law who provided some local knowledge and translation services. A typical vacation for me involves taking pictures of interesting maps I find along the way. There are at least a couple of blog posts worth of these maps. Here is a tapestry map (a mapestry?) I saw in the airport in Venice. Often there is an interesting story behind the maps that is not obvious at first glance. Especially when the map is hanging on the way to the airport security line where one cannot linger for long. This tapestry was commissioned by the Italian Olympic Committee to hang in Casa Italia, the residence that hosted Italy’s athletes in Paris for the 2024 Olympics. Giovanni Bonotto, creative director of textile manufacturer Fabrica Lenta directed the project. It was woven on wooden mechanical shuttle looms dating from 1956. It The map showcases Italian innovators, architecture, industry, regional products and food. At the bottom left corner is a list of regional dishes. Artificial Intelligence was used to design the icons on the map. The entire tapestry is made from recycled plastic yarn as a tribute to the circular economy. Appropriately the map, showing Marco Polo now hangs in the Venice Marco Polo Airport. You can see a video of Bonotto’s process here.
