I’ve written a lot about designing good (and bad) maps. Some articles to get you started are here, or visit the sub-sections for full listings.
From 2013 to 2022 my monthly newsletter included general news, research news, maps in the media, events, and a map of the month. Number 100 was the final edition. All newsletters are archived here.
I have written four books on map history and design with more on the way. Watch this space for more details. My most ambitious work is:
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Underground Maps Unravelled. The definitive exploration of schematic map design, you can download sample chapters.
Technical reports and other short articles that have something useful to say, including:
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Information pollution on the Underground Map Everyone is so eager to please, but sometimes the extra information added to a map makes it harder to use.
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London Underground Map myths Don’t believe everything you read on the web, twelve common myths about Henry Beck and the London Underground map are discussed.
This includes papers published in refereed journals, book chapters, conference papers, and preprints for publication. Good places to start include:
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Expectations and prejudices usurp judgements of schematic map effectiveness Compares the usability of two maps from a large-scale internet rating study. The map with the worse ratings had the better planning performance!
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What’s your theory of effective schematic map design? Discusses intuitive theories of design, along with prescriptions, theories, and frameworks for creating easy-to-use maps.
There are many books on transit maps. Follow the link for a full listing of every title I know, but no bookshelf is complete without this one:
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Transit Maps of the World, by Mark Ovenden. Every map from every rail transit network in the world, and historical maps for larger ones.