In August this year, Lovell Johns were contacted by the BBC, requesting an interview with Iain Lee on BBC Three Counties Radio. They were producing an article on maps and wished to discuss map design, so their researchers naturally came to a company with plenty of experience in this field.
The feature was about the map below which had been produced by the local Canal Trust in a very distinctive shape and was generating a lot of interest on social media!
The map is a simple but pleasing design and clearly shows the features along the canal. It serves its purpose well, the only issue is the finished shape of the map, focussing on the main linear feature, which has attracted a lot of attention. There was a discussion on the appearance of the map and whether the use of an unusual shape was common.
The presenter asked about map design and whether Lovell Johns had produced any other unusual map shapes. Maps may be an unusual shape to meet a specific requirement from a client – perhaps they have limited space to fit in a map around other detail, or maybe the main feature to be mapped is non-rectangular and therefore suited to a different map scope.
Some examples of unusual shaped maps:
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Hand Map
Hand Map
This was produced by Lovell Johns for an advertising agency. Their client, Artemis fund managers, wanted to indicate that their managers knew their business like the back of their hand and so they requested a hand-shaped map.
2. Canal Map
Canal Map
The Environment required a series of maps from Lovell Johns to encourage visitors to use local waterways. The map had to focus on the waterway, with additional notes and images fitted around it.
3. Heart Map
Heart Map
A map may be delineated by an unusual shape to fit a particular occasion. Maps International’s heart map is used to link two different areas in a personalised couple map, often presented as a unique wedding present.
4. World Map
World Map
An unusual map projection will produce a very unfamiliar shape map. We are all used to seeing standard projections of how the earth looks but this example is certainly a different perspective! For those who are interested, it’s the Craig Retroazimuthal map projection – also known as the Mecca projection. (from http://geographer-at-large.blogspot.co.uk/)
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