Great schools have bad maps. Some great schools with renowned geography programs have bad maps. So much for the marketing tool there. That has made for an unexpectedly long search. And much to my disappointment, no single map has wowed me. May I present the following maps with unique elements and virtues of their own that should be recognized and translated into the cartography of other institutions ASAP!
First we have the University of Iowa, circa 1943:
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| Done as a service to locals and visitors from a fraternity chapter. Marketing! Whenever I hear "University of Iowa", this map will be my first thought... immediately followed by, "Great map archive!". http://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/maps/ |
It knows its job and does it well. Some more landmarks and labeling would help me miss the scale bar less.
Next, Williams College appreciates mapping more as an art, less of a science. Why do they also seem to ignore scale? (Probably to make a pretty map that shows an area of interest entirely) The map is visually appealing, has an heirloom quality, and is very navigable with clearly drawn streets and labels.
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| Attention to detail makes architecture, landscape, and direction easily recognizable. The reader can quickly match the environment to what is drawn. http://www.williams.edu/files/williams_map.jpg |
Meanwhile, West Texas A&M provides a nice artistic rendering overlain upon recessive b/w aerial imagery of the campus. Art AND science. You have a real geographic area connected to the school map- georeference! Major highways are labeled. Building numbers are easy to identify in the corresponding legend. Unfortunately this static map is not the version made available for download.
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| Connecting the abstract to reality is this strongest component of this map. The insets are awkward, but it is very readable. |
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| From tiny acorns... |
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| Notice how the horseshoe stadium is a big red O- Marketing! |
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