How apropos!

I am not a fan of propotional symbol maps. This is by far the best one I have ever seen.
From Russia with love:

I have not located an english translation. Beautiful work with wheels, steps, and dots. Visual balance in color and space.

Color Me Amused

Color, tone, hue, shading. it's all here! Inset maps- check! Compass rose- check! Sea monsters-check!
The map IS the adventure.

Notice the northeast position of the sun. It also appears to be a relief map. Gorgeous and fun!

Chloropleth Map

Yes, it is Choropleth. C-H-O-R-O-pleth, not like chlorine, chlorophyll, or chloro fluoro carbons.

BUT, I have found a Chloro Choro Carto. Behold!:

It is actually pretty. Pretty awful. Nice color scheme- what does it mean? What do the dots mean? Is there significance to their location? Are those lakes or new countries in Scandinavia? There is a separate page to download for some explaination. That's fine, but there is plenty of room for a color ramp legend. Cartographic nuance and fundamental elements are missing. Must have been a short production deadline.

And , Yes, the assignment is to find a great example. I like this one:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/americans-get-fatter-drunker/

The line graph and net change comparison features are what set this map apart from others in this genre.
Impressive communication of concept and storytelling.

Campus Maps

Better late than never... I am overcompensating with four maps.

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:

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.

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.

Connecting the abstract to reality is this strongest component of this map.
The insets are awkward, but it is very readable.

Finally, I am compelled to include an interactive map from The Ohio State University as bonus material. It shows change over time with the growth of the campus in selected map years. It still tells a good story as a series of static maps. Well Done.

http://knowlton.osu.edu/historymap/

From tiny acorns...

Notice how the horseshoe stadium is a big red O- Marketing!