Quick post this - to draw attention to a project some friends of mine have done.
Schulze and Webb are a v smart london design. tech/ making/ thinking consultancy.
(Disclosure - they are also friends of mine)
They have a new project - a map of Manhattan called Here and There. You can see more/ buy one here.
Design thoughts
I like this. Possibly because I know how much thought they put into stuff generally, but it's great. But that isn't much of an insightful critique. So here is a punt at one.
It isn't a map - but it is absolutely about maps.
I think this will inspire others in their map work because of how it provides the absolute key issue in most Information Design and that is it's value in the world. It surfaces the constant dance between orientation and navigation.
Where you are and what you can do.
It's what I have spent the last year thinking and writing about (and hopefully doing).
Letting people know what they are being offered (so they can decide whether to pursue).
Letting people follow their interest, in a way they can understand.
I will add that such artefacts can offer something a little sensual - and I think the rush as we slide down 4th Avenue is exactly that.
Bits of midtown on the curve are hard to find, sure - but this piece of work is about thinking about wayfinding - not actually doing it.
And given the failure of many modern approaches to data display (especially so much DataVis data driven mess) this is a nice way of reminding us of the tension between Here and There always in mind.
Note - I wasn't paid for this - I bought one (well, two actually)
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