Using Maps To Create Compelling Products
December 5, 2008 by Debra · 2 Comments
Maps make for fantastic wall art. Not only do they remind us of where we’ve been they can help us get where we want to go. For example, I have a friend who has a strong love for all things Russian. She has gorgeous maps of Russia placed in key locations throughout her home. Because the organization and boundaries of Russia have changed over the years these maps, some of them are very old, have value as collector’s items.
Now we’re not talking about the Rand McNally Road Atlas types of maps, hang hose on your wall and the only thing you’re likely to gain is the knowledge of all the rest areas between Austin and Albuquerque. Ick!
No, we’re talking about vintage maps. Before the invention of GoogleMaps and GPS map making was an art which took map creators painstaking time and attention to detail. You can find a wealth of fabulous map art at archives.org. Here’s how.
- Step One. Visit the Library of Congress Digital Collection
- Step Two. Enter maps in the search area.
- Step Three. Hit search! You’ll find more than 2,000 results.
- Step Four. Narrow your search.
Love Russian maps like my friend? Search Maps Russia and review the results.
Love Europe? Search Maps Europe
Want to stick closer to home? Search by state. You may be able to find aerial photos, hand drawn maps of an entire state or notable city. Like this one of Georgia:
You can show the progress of time and change for cities like Las Vegas and Chicago with a progression of map images.
Step Five. Don’t forget to search inside books. There are a large number of books in the public domain which have gorgeous maps inside and included as illustrations. These maps offer the same opportunity that individual map collections do.
So what can you do with all of these public domain maps?
Well posters and calendars first come to mind however you can also create coffee table books with themes from your desired country or region. You can take the images to a printer and create quality lithographs and sell them framed or unframed as the works of art they were meant to be.
Map art with public domain content is a fantastic way to create unique products for your map loving audience. Start at loc.gov and brainstorm the possibilities.
