MetaChat - Help requested from any map geeks.

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17 April 2008

Help requested from any map geeks. I've re-created a couple of historical maps (don't ask me why) and would like to hear any suggestions or criticisms from those more knowledgeable about map-making than me.→[More:]

The first is largely an exact copy of the map that came with the 1939 World's Fair guidebook.

The second is an amalgamation of maps of Manhattan from around the same time frame.

Anything that I can do to make them more readable or cool-looking? Also, any obvious inaccuracies?

post by: deadcowdan at: 09:49 | 11 comments

I have no help to offer.
But the color schemes are awesome. I'm going to have to save these and import the color swatches into photoshop. Did you redo the text yourself? What fonts did you use? They're great.
Good job, man.

posted by CitrusFreak12 17 April | 10:38

I am not a map-maker, but I am a map geek, and I think those both look really nice. My sole suggestion is that it looks like the "Cl" in "Dewitt Clinton Park" is messed up in the second one.

posted by cmonkey 17 April | 10:38

I appreciate the compliments, CF, but at least on the first map I don't deserve them. That one was my attempt to make a copy of an existing map - the original designer came up with that color scheme. Most of the fonts on that one are some form of Futura or Bell Gothic.

And good eye, cmonkey. The weird thing is, it's fine in the original file - it must have happened during the conversion to jpeg.

posted by deadcowdan 17 April | 11:35

Quite a bit of the 'park' font's text is uneven ("Washington Square", "Tompkins Square", "Gabriels Park", "Bryant Park", "Chelsea Park" leapt out at me) in the JPEG - compression artifacts, maybe? Regardless, those are some damn nice maps and I bet they'll look excellent when printed out and framed in high resolution.

posted by cmonkey 17 April | 12:30

Have you tried outputting it in a lossless fromat? That would tell you if it was just a compression artifact or something a litter odder in the actual rasterization.

posted by King of Prontopia 17 April | 13:49

It's hard to critique these not knowing how they'll be used. As a jpg in a pop-up window? Downloaded for printing? Or you will be including them in printed materials?

posted by stilicho 17 April | 16:10

They'll be printed out as stand-alone maps.

posted by deadcowdan 17 April | 17:29

At bigger size than those images I might add. I shrunk them down so that people wouldn't have to download 5-10 MB jpegs.

posted by deadcowdan 17 April | 17:32

I have no advice, but I think your projects are wicked cool.

posted by Miko 17 April | 21:00

No advice from me either, but as someone who loves to look at maps I have to say those look wonderful. What program did you use to make them?

posted by deborah 17 April | 23:32

I used CorelDraw. It would probably have been quicker and less frustrating to use Illustrator, but the learning curve on that looked too intimidating to me.

posted by deadcowdan 18 April | 07:03

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