Whether sketched on a napkin or generated from complex data, maps are a fascinating expression of contemporary visual culture. Their styles may range from simple to intricate, focused to comprehensive, and restrained to vivid, but all maps unlock the world and make it more accessible. In our age of omnipresent satellite navigation systems, personal interpretations of our surroundings are gaining in importance. Today, the craftsmanship of cartographers and the distinct visuals of map illustrators are increasingly valued by both professional designers and a growing community of those passionate about maps. Mind the Map features a stunning selection of outstanding contemporary maps that help us find our way around. The book shows how editors, agencies, travel operators, and relocation services are using them to communicate what makes a region special, to put a specific location into context, to create moods, or to tell stories. Some maps help us to orient ourselves in a foreign country or an unfamiliar city, while others make pathways clear and logical that might otherwise seem confusing. In our age of visual storytelling, cartography has become more prevalent and innovative.
Maps can be illustrated by hand for magazine stories or display in the home or customized for screens of mobile devices that can guide us on urban safaris or isolated hikes. Mind the Map is a showcase that reflects the broad range of work now being created by a new generation of mapmakers from around the world including classically legible maps, artistic experiments, editorial illustrations, city views, vacation guides, and global overviews. Mind the Map provides new perspectives on the world in map form. The book offers surprising and inspiring bird's eye views into places that we thought we knew and unexpected access into unfamiliar terrain. Its texts guide the reader yet allow enough room for personal discovery. Together the visual examples and written information make for a book full of fascinating journeys that readers will want to take again and again.
