Map O' The Day #33 - Jim Morrison Grave

In creating this map, the point was to drive home two truths of Maga’s maps, specifically, that maps work in systems and that maps are always about an outcome or goal. In this instance, your goal would be to find Jim Morrison’s grave, and as you can see, if taken by themselves, none of the maps would have you finding success in your journey. Rather, all the views of the information are necessary to understand your pathway.

Maga Design believes that whether you are implementing ERP or training your organization for a process change, that you will need a selection of maps that allow you to understand the true nature of the effort. This means presenting the active environment so as to provide stakeholders with easily identifiable challenges, (the flight to Paris from America would be the example used in today’s map), best pathways (making a left at grave 28 on the cemetery map), and an idea of what success looks like! (where’s the actual grave, what does it look like).

An interesting thing to spend a moment on with this info. graphic is the picture of a graffiti wall in the center. Maps are so natural to the way humans think that individuals took the time to make “road signs” throughout the cemetery to get to the hallowed burial site.

Map O’ The Day #32 – The Negro Leagues

This map, from Bill Turianski, circa 2007, is a neat view of the Negro League presence across the country, with “callouts” off to each side about each club. I’m partial to the Homestead Grays, who played in Pittsburgh as well as Washington DC and won 10, count em’, 10 Negro National League Championships, and 3 Negro Word Series Titles.

What I like about this map are the hand drawn logos for each club that give the map a unique look and feel. Overall just a cool picture of a valuable part of American sports and social history.

Map ‘O The Day #31 – Voyage To The Bottom of the Sea

Today’s selection comes from either Conde Nast Traveler, or John Grimwade, and is a well proportioned look of the trip to where tectonic plate activity has allowed for the Earth’s molten core to penetrate ocean bottom.

It’s a little bit on the textbook side of things stylistically, but I find that it is an example of one of principles to which Maga adheres to, specifically, using systems of maps to present a variety of important views on a subject. This type of systems thinking allows an individual to understand the information on a variety of levels, from the strategic to the tactical, as well as subsequently becoming empowered to make more informed decisions, which leads to increased impact with upon acting.

Map O' The Day #30 - Travel

Today’s Map O’ the Day is all about “getting around”, or the different modes of transportation and some usage statistics regarding the select types. It was designed by the folks at International Networks Archive, a group out of Princeton University and presents some pretty interesting statistics including my favorite tidbit: the fact that the rise of mega yachts has been 214% since 1996.

A neat aspect of this presentation is the use of actual transportation methods to display the information.

Map O’ The Day #29 - Czech Beer Map

In thinking about how best to conclude the “food” themed week for Map O’ The Day, I landed on a map that has a subject matter near and dear to my heart. Specifically, Czech beer. This shows a comprehensive view of all the excellent breweries in the land of beer. I believe this map was created by the Czech government as a travel guide.

While the design of this map isn’t spectacular, keep in mind that today is the 75th anniversary of the repeal of prohibition, so go out and have a beer to celebrate. You can even fly to the Czech Republic and find yourself a brewery if you're so inclined!!

Map O’ The Day #28 – Water Wars

Another map from the International Networks Archive via Princeton U that presents some interesting views on the world’s water supply as well as current and future usage. Pretty amazing to think that even in the modern world that 7 people die every minute globally from a lack of clean water.

This map utilizes one of the Maga mapping principles, namely, using a system, or multiple views of information to understand the landscape. See the far right side to understand this chronological system which is depicting the evolution of the clean water issue.

Gotta love anything with toy soldiers in the design, and a strong use of color and image [silhouette] to provide bold emphasis on the usage by continent figures.

Map O’ The Day #27 – Sch’mokin

So while cigarettes aren’t really food (theme for this week), I suppose to some they pass for a meal! This is another map from International Networks Archive (Princeton U), and like yesterday’s McBucked map, I think this map is wildly successful in it’s presentation.

The global tobacco smuggling trade, and it’s accompanying logistics are front and center, but if you examine the map, that information set is not the true purpose of this image. In a very “Tuftesque” (think Napoleon Invasion Map), they’ve created a very powerful anti-smoking message by framing the world tobacco trade map with compelling reasons to not smoke cigarettes.

Particularly interesting to me was the use of actual photography in the chemicals section on the far left to provide shock factor at cigarettes negative ingredients. That decision is applying one of the major principles of maps: POWER. As mapping guru Robert Karrow Jr. puts it, “Maps have an undeniable way of expressing knowledge of, mastery of, and control over the environments they depict.”

We should all be striving to exude this type of authority over our own subject matters!

Map O' The Day #26 - McBucked

So, in sticking with the food theme this week, (like we need anymore reminders to gorge ourselves around the holidays), I’ve attached this excellent map / info graphic regarding Starbucks and McDonalds, which I found on the Princeton website.

Pay particular attention to the fact that McDonalds, while being currently ranked worse in customer satisfaction, is still bringing in gross sales larger than the GDP of Afghanistan!

There’s a strong use of shape in this graphic that instantly allows a viewer to understand proportion for both Starbucks supply and McDonalds restaurant distribution. Not an overwhelming amount of information, which is a positive in this case because it allows a strong representational presentation of key storytelling elements for both the Burger and Latte giants! Enjoy.

Map O' The Day #25 - Dunkin' Donuts

The data here is from 2004, and covers 70,000 square miles. This is from a Carnegie Mellon student, Alexander Cheek, who majors in Information Design. Pretty interesting conclusions to be drawn from this view.