Visualize the World: Inspiration

The World Clock, Or What Time it is in the Different Places of the Earth When it is Noon in Dresden, is from “Alexander von Humboldt's Kosmos,” 1851.

In my last post, I told you about the forthcoming Lonely Planet book of information graphics, “How to Land A Jumbo Jet.” The book intends to be a “visual guide to the world - a collection of cultural and travel-inspired infographics and visualizations of all kinds.” The book's content will be developed from submissions to an open call for infographic and visualization ideas. The project is under the direction of renowned 'graphic explainer,' Nigel Holmes.

As promised, here’s an assortment of travel-related information design, for inspiration …


Fifty years of Exploration, traces the nearly 200 missions launched in a half-century of space travel.
National Geographic Map by Sean McNaughton and Samuel Velasco, 5W Infographics



This dictionary of cultural nuance, “Speak Italian: The Fine Art of the Gesture," by graphic designer Bruno Munari, was first published in 1958. It was re-released by Chronicle Books in 2005.


From 1923, "New and Improved View of the Comparative Heights of the Principal Mountains and Lengths of the Principal Rivers In The World, The whole Judiciously arranged from the various Authorities Extant” Via Natural Selections
Go to "River Deep Mountain High,” on BibliOdyssey for a dozen more examples of this type of info-geo-graphic illustration.



Vintage booklet from Mobil, “DIAL your MILEAGE,” includes a section to record your mileage and offers tips on how to save fuel.


Explained here, by Nigel Holmes, is how the unique choreography of the social kiss varies from country to country. From his book, Wordless Diagrams.


This cutaway of the street below Rockefeller Center, by Emil Lowenstein, appeared in the July, 1939 issue of Fortune, which was devoted entirely to New York City.


Cutaway model by Model by Richard Peduzzi, of the the Garnier's Paris Opéra. Via Oobject


To actually read what the different colors represent in various cultures, you’ll have to view the David McCandless original at his sight, Information is Beautiful. (By the way, his post today includes, and links to, one of the Du Bois charts from AME.)


Promotional infographic for the startup Airbnb, highlights some of the more unusual properties available for short-term rental. Via Co.Design


Snapped this one in San Clemente.


Map of touristiness, based on analysis of photos on Panoramio. Via LA Times


Twelve maps in a case showing the best bicycle routes in the state of Wisconsin. Published in 1897, by The League of American Wheelmen, the maps are keyed to show good, medium, bad, level, hilly, and very hilly roads. An Index map is provided as well. Via the David Rumsey Map Collection


This vintage map (year unknown), shows driving distances between cities in France.

Worldmapper: On the Grid

You may or may not be familiar with Worldmapper. It's a project that originated from the Social and Spatial Inequalities research group at the University of Sheffield, to create maps where geographic territories can be sized according to a whole assortment of other metrics, like population, literacy, income, etc. The resulting graphics are called cartograms and Worldmapper now offers almost 700 of them. Together they provide a fascinating visualization of global issues.

On a recent visit to the website, I discovered gridded cartograms. A uniform grid is imposed on a geographic territory and then each square is sized according to the value of a particular metric. This gridded mapping creates a way more nuanced representation than the traditional cartogram, which assigns a single value for each country. It also allows for analysis within one territory.

Here are some grid-mapped populations. A country like Italy, say, whose population is rather dense throughout, will look very much like its geographic shape, while Brazil (above), has quite a different story to tell.

Watching the River Flow

You know those amazing National Geographic poster-sized maps that explain everything about Ethnoliguistic Africa or The Ocean Floor? This map of the Colorado River Basin by 5W Infographics, is a recent addition to the NG online map collection.

What’s so cool about this map, is that overlaying the river, is a chart, where the width at any point corresponds to the amount of flow at that point in the river—the wide band shows averages for wet years, the narrower darker blue band shows the amount for dry years. You will also find out, in incredible detail, everything else you might want to know about this river basin that supplies more water than any other river basin in the world. The maps are all zoomable and high-res, but sometimes take a bit of time to render.

Yet another incredible resource from National Geographic.





Here are a few others from the collection

1987 Pinnipeds Around the World Map, 1964 Shakespeare's Britain Map, The Universe Map

MAP QUEST

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When asking for directions- Prepare to lose your way.
When consulting a map- Good Luck.
When consulting a friend about a map-You will find just what you are looking for!

photograph by Louise Dahl- Wolfe
Harper's Bazaar October 1951
Mary Jane Russell models DIOR alongside Turgot's Plan de Paris

I will say one thing about the blog world- I have learned LOTS. This is why it is slightly addicting- Slightly?, and you know- if a writer of one-posting with any regularity -of what I speak. After dipping a toe in here and there for a year-stealthily popping in on a two special favourites, I jumped in the ice cold waters of little augury, writing my own posts and becoming a loyal reader of many others. The sphere is covered with them-a MAP is needed. No? Well- if you already have yours- fine. As long as you know the way.

It is much like a boulevard in the great cities- shop after shop-Lure after allure, but when you have a taste for Nougat- you only visit Arnaud Souberyan. Nougat you ask? Yes, addicting, and I somehow feel very of the age when dining and everything surrounding it was Art. The oldest maker of Nougat since 1837-originally situated at 152 Grand Rue, just meander through the Arnaud Souberyan site & you will find the original 1837 recipe, the establishment's location, the history, the-everything you always wanted to know about Nougat-well-Don't be afraid-Ask there.

& so it is with blogs. Some are a passing taste with me-I read and return and then- I don't. Some are Nougat-They are addicting. They are the BEST- they are of the moment's fancy and the timeless tastefulness of experience. You get what you pay for- and in this case it's free. How delicious!

Now back to maps- but it is all intertwined-as You will see.



I do Love maps-terrible at geographies but the lines on a map are of my own heart- Not a straight one on the parchment paper. Not ONE direct path to any hidden away destination that is truly interesting & maps are always full of mystery. Maps are never without a misprinting or three-a slightly misplaced longitude & Well- one never knows where one may end up. Here is where it gets good. For me- a special blog that always has the best of all bread crumbs leading you here and there & always returning you home is the one and only Pigtown* Design.

Perfect example- Around the first few horribly hot days of August- Meg of Pigtown (that's Baltimore to you) posted about something I have seen and wanted-(here) & wanted more than a time or tw0-it was No passing thing. It is the Michel-Etienne Turgot Map of Paris, circa 1739. The original map PLAN TURGOT measures about 8 feet wide x 10 feet high. The map Meg wrote about was a copy- 98" x 60"- and selling at Conran Shops in the U.K. Meg also gave us her original source for the news- a blog called The CORINTHIAN COLUMN. The Corinthian's July 31st post is (here). I immediately went dashing off to Bangkok-this is where the CORINTHIAN lives- No kidding. Other than reading the "Magna Carta" map post, I started sight seeing there and began finding my way to- paintings, antiques, really-all the best stuff imaginable. I immediately knew I would be revisiting Bangkok.



Before I could ask- Now where can I get this MAP?- Meg had updated the post with several other sources for purchasing the MAP.

Along with Meg's directions to the Paris Map, the comments left on the post were inspirations:

Diane Dorrans Saeks-of THE STYLE SALONISTE (here) added "occasionally I will meet French designers or historians or antique dealers who will proudly claim 'this building was on the PLAN TURGOT...which can be helpful for locating specific buildings that were actually there in 18th C." (the SS)
Now here again- THE Saloniste is another of my favourite places. The Saloniste is in San Francisco & in Paris. I love it when she is there and takes us on one of her larks (here) or introduces us to a new design sensation (here) . I have returned to the Saeks Salon countless times to read about Jean- Louis Denoit again & again. I have this spot permanently marked on my map.

Diane in Paris. Her PARIS ADDRESS BOOK is here.



Note: As a reader of my posts, any post-Always read the comments. This is where the MAP many times begins to meander right to your heart's desire.

Around the first few days of September- Meg got her map! (here). I got mine too-actually- I got two- As I often do, One to keep. One to use on a project. I was emailing Meg on occasion at this point about the Map, along with other things- Meg knows about things. Meg graciously and skillfully- I might add- offered to do something very technical with the map for her readers-this technical part- I can not explain & you do not want me to. In this post "Turgot Plan de Paris (1734) ," we hear back from Meg's original source MAP Maker, the CORINTHIAN COLUMN, saying:

Meg - just back from the copy shop and they are printing six sections together from your first file sent to me, (the black & white), and I'm going to use it as a window covering in the guest loo - which is black and white. There was quite a lot of fiddling to do, as they don't match exactly, and when printed up to my size, (enlarged) they may lose their precision, but it might have an unexpected modern art effect, and I like the juxtaposition of the C18th map made into something more modern. It will be ready on Monday, and I will post about it, with a reference to you/your post. I hope my endeavours are not a disaster!! (the CC)

Here are the results in his post " A River Runs through It" dated September 21st-



Tour de force.
Paris in Bangkok, of course with detours along the way, which makes it all the more worth the travel,
the Victoria and Albert & to an auction.



...meanwhile back in Baltimore. Meg is having cocktails & as one often does after one, I believe she said two-she happens upon MOUNTING THE MAP. Meg is tireless, fearless and quite successful with the map mounting.
Brave too.

Voila! Paris in Baltimore. Meg also dropped me off in Herefordshire at the Kilpeck Church here. I fell in love at this church. I went twice to the Hampton Mansion near Baltimore here & here, & so many other places. If you've missed many -you can go back -bread crumbs, but if it just seems too much ground to cover- Start traveling along with Meg starting now. She will never guide you wrong.



Meg got wonderful Kudos! from her readers. Do read all the comments on her post & get an update from the CORINTHIAN.


My map, alas-Looks like this.



Still in a bundle.

But I hope at some point in the road- it will appear as a screen like this one by Jansen, ca. 1950 in the home of Phillips Hathaway. Isn't it wonderful? My little Tudor is threatening to crumble under all things hanging about the walls now-but I somehow feel I have an old house left in me somewhere- so it will travel with me there someday.

photo from katiedid here

(September HG 2006)

& why not stop along the way-

the Man behind the MAP from BibliOdyssey:

"Mayor Michel-Etienne Turgot (Prevot des Marchands de Paris) commissioned Louis Bretez to prepare a map of Paris in 1734. Five years later, twenty engraved sheets (by Claude Lucas) were delivered that measured eight by ten feet when assembled. This is a superb map with incredible detail and the bird's eye view style seems all the more remarkable for having been produced some fifty years prior to the first balloon flight." (B)

& A first edition available (here)



...to be continued, with detours, But did you doubt that for a minute?

UPDATE (10.12.2009-2 PM)- another TURGOT MAP spotted today at the BLUE REMEMBERED HILLS, each element is framed (here).
UPDATE II (10.12.2009- 10:50 PM- TURGOT MAP SITING-by who else MEG of Pigtown*Design at Pat's Addition, "Plan de Paris Vestibule Chez Moi" a very professional job -I might add (here).
UPDATE III (10.13.2009) after a comment about Rome maps- Joni from Texas shows us ROME. another detour that takes us to Cote de Texas (here)

Rome in Texas, Cote de Texas-that is.

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