Here’s a statement for you to evaluate. As it stands now, maps
are made to look strongly alike. Even if you have no map design
training, you’re familiar with ‘cartographic conventions’; those
little things that give maps a cohesive visual language. North
is up, water bodies are blue, text curves around rivers, et
cetera et cetera. When I say maps look alike, I am not actually
referring to these sorts of things, although they do play a role
in making maps a visually consistent medium. Rather, I’m talking
to the most structural, fundamental aspects forming the look of
modern-day maps. For example, think of how well the maps you
look at everyday conform to these descriptions: - The view is
generally planimetric (i.e. ‘top down’), rather than oblique. -
Linework is thin and precise-looking. - Aside from the inherent
distortion of map projection, geographic distortion is minimized
as much as possible. - The typography has a legibility-focused,
non-decorative personality. - It is produced digitally, and opts
for ve