There are a lot of map competitions out there. But to the best of my knowledge, none is devoted specifically to the appreciation of monochrome maps. And it's time to remedy that. I love working in monochrome (and gave a talk about it at NACIS 2018). I think color is overused, and the challenges of a … Continue reading Monochrome Mapping Competition
Since my first live stream went so well, I'm extending the experiment! I'll be doing (at least) three more in the coming months, on the 1st Wednesday of each, at noon Central Time. So mark your calendars and join me as I try out a few different formats. Videos will be streamed at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqdKhw-PVDm6i6DxjYdaXPg/live You … Continue reading Upcoming Live Events
Earlier this week, I conducted an experiment in live broadcasting. I took a map that I'd previously made and spent nearly an hour going through it layer-by-layer, discussing my design rationale and techniques. If you're interested, have a look at the recording. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlfxrtE5O1o Livestreaming is something I've wanted to do for a while — I've … Continue reading A Live Experiment in Disassembling a Map
As is now my annual tradition, it's time for me to tell everyone how much money I make. As a freelancer, I often wonder how I am doing financially as compared to my colleagues. Not out of a sense of competition, but just to answer the persistent question: is this normal? Am I earning a "typical" … Continue reading Financial Transparency: 2018 Edition
Friends, this last year I’ve been more bold about asking for donations. And I’ve been quite honestly amazed by the level of support that I’ve received. I love giving back to my fellow mapmakers, and their generosity in return has been humbling and gratifying. Thank you all so much; that includes not just those who … Continue reading What I did in 2018: An Annual Report
This is my father's manual typewriter, a Royal Safari II. Or maybe it's mine — I appropriated it quite a long time ago. I remember playing with it a bit as a child in the 1980s, but for the most part I've rarely used it. But I've kept it around anyway, because I've always had … Continue reading Typewriter Cartography
Gentle readers, I am back again with yet another tutorial that relates to the legibility of type. I love the art of map labeling, and the fact that this will be my third post on integrating type into a map suggests that I've probably thought way too much about it. While my two previous posts were on type knockouts, this … Continue reading Smart Type Halos in Photoshop and Illustrator
While I've not been posting here this summer, neither have I let my writing faculties lie idle. The newest issue of Cartographic Perspectives, which is the free & open journal of NACIS, came out today and it happens to have two pieces that I wrote, along with a third one that's connected to my work. I hope you'll check … Continue reading Outside Readings
A couple of months ago, I had the opportunity to redesign the route map for a major airline, to be printed in their in-flight magazine. This is not the final product that I ended up creating for the client, but it's my favorite iteration, and the one that I want to talk about today. I just … Continue reading On Airline Mapping
A few weeks ago, Aly Ollivierre and I had an email conversation about freelancing, and whether or not the rates we charged were "normal." Freelancing can be an opaque world, and I've tried to bring a little transparency to it in my own way. To help shed a little more light on the cartographic freelance … Continue reading Cartographic Freelancer Survey Results
somethingaboutmaps 