You are Here: Personal Geographies and Other Maps of the Imagination
by , (4 comments)
You might find the book “You are Here: Personal Geographies and Other Maps of the Imagination”
The author has collected a variety of maps from 100 years ago until present time, and organized them by theme. I call them “maps,” but they’re really pieces of art and personal expression. Some were created to be humorous, others to be creatively informative or anecdotal, others to be editorial illustrations, yet others to simply be beautiful art. Each page had so much to say. Through reading this book, I gained a renewed understanding of the large amount of information that is spatial. Geography isn’t just a boring class you had to take in school—it’s all around us, and you make geographic decisions every day.
I would recommend this book.
Comments (4)
Mollie said:
I have been searching around for a few hours looking for different graphic map interpretations, when I thought to search your site - how odd that when I got here, this entry was posted.
Looks interesting - thanks for letting me know about this book!
Posted on May 24, 2005
Bennett said:
Mollie, You might want to check out Information Architects by Richard Saul Wurman. There are some great examples of map design in that book as well.
Kyle, I know you work with maps on a daily basis. Do you think this book is applicable with what you work on, or is it just fun to look at and read?
Posted on May 24, 2005
Kyle said:
Bennett, yes, there is a strong connection between this book and the maps that I use in my designs at work. That is why it peaked my interest. On one level, it was refreshing to see artistic mapping—I see examples of this only occasionally in modern art. On another level, the maps in the book are similar to maps that businesses/organizations use to make intelligent decisions. Maps tell a story, and I believe this is central to every map I’ve seen. The only difference is that most (if not all?) of the maps in the book are illustrated by hand. I’m comparing them to digital maps with layers.
Posted on May 24, 2005
Adrian said:
Kyle, Thanks for recommending the book. I will have to check it out. I have been traveling for the past several days, so I was enjoying the view from an airplane window. I was lucky to have one of the most beautiful flights I have ever been on as I left Chicago Sunday evening. I can’t help but make connections between my flight, your post, and our recent discussion about Google maps.
Posted on May 26, 2005