Friends and colleagues, it's time once again for the survey that Aly Ollivierre and I conduct every two years. We ask people who do freelance mapping work about their fees and other business practices, in order to help bring more transparency to our little niche of the world, and empower our fellow freelancers to better … Continue reading Take the 2024 Freelance Mapper Survey
Another Atlas of Minor Projects
A few years ago, I compiled a PDF of various small odds-and-ends mapping projects that I'd done. Now, I've done it again. Please enjoy Another Atlas of Minor Projects, which houses a few dozen cartographic items that needed a home. DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE ATLAS These are all small, mostly-quick projects that never really merited their … Continue reading Another Atlas of Minor Projects
On the Practice of Wobbling
We live in an era in which maps (and plenty of other graphics) are made with digital tools. Workflows vary, but the end result is that a lot of us base our cartography entirely on clean vector shapes and neat raster grids. For example, I talked earlier this year about a map I made of … Continue reading On the Practice of Wobbling
Challenging the Idea of a Bad Map
We're just a couple of weeks away from the 30 Day Map Challenge, an annual celebration of cartographic creativity. I know some of you are already brainstorming about what you might do this year. Each day has a prompt, and you're encouraged to make a map that day that is based on the prompt. Here's … Continue reading Challenging the Idea of a Bad Map
The Projection Collection Returns
About a year ago, I released The Projection Collection, a set of 77 trading cards based on map projections. Each card features a unique map produced by one of 65 different cartographers. While my colleagues and I did our best to let everyone know about these cards, some people inevitably missed out during the first … Continue reading The Projection Collection Returns
Getting Local: A Map Disassembly
Though it's only been a couple of months since the last time I did a map breakdown, I feel like it's time for another. While my own instincts are to avoid repetition, if there's one thing I've learned from my YouTube-watching habits, it's that a creator can put out a regular stream of content that … Continue reading Getting Local: A Map Disassembly
Independent Study: A Reflection
Earlier this summer, I decided to embark on an educational experiment: I wanted to create a version of the independent study groups that I used to co-teach when I was at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, in which students would work on a mapping project, and meet weekly for feedback. My version of this "class" just … Continue reading Independent Study: A Reflection
Leopard Map Disassembly
Friends, it's been a long while since I last wrote up a walkthrough of one of my mapping projects. So, today, let's break down a piece that I made earlier this year for Scientific American magazine. This is actually the first of three pieces that I've made for Scientific American this year. Much of my … Continue reading Leopard Map Disassembly
An Educational Experiment
(Edit: sign-ups are now closed. I received over 150 responses for 4 available slots, which has been great but overwhelming. I may offer this again in the future if it goes well, so make sure to follow me on Twitter and subscribe to the blog, to be notified of when this happens.) It's time for … Continue reading An Educational Experiment
Conventional Cartographic Wisdom that I have Failed to Grasp
When I teach cartography, I am deliberate about not presenting my students with any rules. I do not want obedience to memorized maxims — instead, I simply tell them about practices that I think are good ideas, and then I offer an explanation of my reasoning. The students can choose to follow my advice, or … Continue reading Conventional Cartographic Wisdom that I have Failed to Grasp