Friends, as many of you know, I am one of the Editors of the Atlas of Design, which is a book which NACIS publishes every two years. It's a showcase of some of the best and most beautiful cartography around the world. We've recently opened submissions for the 2014 edition, and I very much hope you'll … Continue reading Atlas of Design 2014 →

This tutorial has been deprecated and replaced by a newer version. As promised several months ago, I've finally put together some instructions on how to create shaded relief using Blender. I've created a 72-minute, six-part video series that walks you through the process (don't worry; it doesn't take that long to do it every time, … Continue reading Blender Tutorial →

Throughout my brief cartographic career, I've been a fan of shaded relief, but I've also struggled to create one that I found satisfactory. I haven't had the time to learn how to draw relief manually, and so I rely on the old standard digital hillshade algorithm, plus the judicious application of Photoshop (having learned from … Continue reading Blending my Way to Relief →

Loyal followers, I've got a new post up on the Visual.ly blog that you might want to check out, if you're interested in my thoughts on the future of cartography: Is Cartography Dead? Meanwhile, I hope you will pardon the dust around here. Too often that we think of blogs which update infrequently as being … Continue reading Is Cartography Dead? →

Gentle readers, Things have been fairly quiet around here lately, and I apologize for that. I've got a number of things in mind to write about, but much of my spare time has been taken up by a major project. I present to you, the NACIS Atlas of Design: This is a book I edited … Continue reading Atlas of Design →

The aesthetic and design choices available to cartographers are near infinite. As we strive to craft something that looks good and fits with the themes we want to convey, we can select from a massive variety of colors, typefaces, line weights, symbols, and more. This flexibility allows for the creativity and expression that lies at … Continue reading Linework Like Typefaces →

Note: In the comments below, it turns out there's a bit of confusion about what the definition of neatline actually is, and whether or not I'm using it correctly. Like a lot of cartography terms taught in school, practicing mapmakers aren't always sure what they mean. Feel free to weigh in with your opinion on … Continue reading Against Neatlines →

From time to time, I make quick, one-off projects for my own entertainment, and I usually don't have anywhere for them to go once complete. So, instead, I will post a few of my recent ones here in hopes that they will amuse you, gentle reader. Choropleth Mosaics Some weeks ago, a friend of mine … Continue reading Odds and Ends →

Today I'd like to give a little publicity to a couple of new projects I'm involved in, and which need help from people like you. Both of these are organized through NACIS, the North American Cartographic Information Society. Atlas of Design First off, NACIS is creating a new publication, the Atlas of Design, which is … Continue reading Two NACIS Projects →

Let me tell you about one of my favorite maps. I've seen it on various t-shirts around Madison, Wisconsin, the city in which I have lived for the past four years or so. It's an emblem of sorts for we who are proud of living on an isthmus. I love this map because of its … Continue reading Lake City Lake →