At the very start of the course we talked about how there are certain situations where words don’t cut it and only a visual will do. Sometimes this is literally a map, as we grab a scrap of paper and scribble down a route for someone asking for directions. What we’re doing there is giving someone who has little knowledge of the area, beyond the spot they’re standing in, the benefit of greater sense of how the local streets, landmarks link up and relate to each other.
Mapping is about establishing an overview, a more complete picture than the one we see from the ground level. And that doesn’t just apply to geographies and the physical realm, but to conceptual things too. Authors map out the plots of novels, scientists map out the brain, UX designers map out the way we’ll interact with an app or a website. In fact, when the content is virtual or invisible it’s perhaps especially useful to ensure everyone can navigate the terrain. A map gives us a sense of proportion, purpose and direction.
The act of mapping is just as valuable as a complete map. It’s a process that exposes gaps in our knowledge, highlights problems ahead and perhaps reveals patterns or structures we hadn’t known were there.
Now we’ve come to the end of the course, it’s over to you to keep building your practice. Why not help each other maintain momentum by getting together and setting each other challenges? To start you off, you’ll find a suggestion for a mapping challenge at the bottom of this page.
“I’ve always been fascinated by maps and cartography. A map tells you where you’ve been, where you are, and where you’re going — in a sense it’s three tenses in one.”
This week in summary
At Scriberia, one of the most important kinds of map we make is designed to give a clear and inspiring vision for a different future. This poster gives our best advice on picturing change.
Little Red Riding Hood and the Secrets of visual Communication
We created this eBook to show some of our favourite methods of mapping information of different types and to share the process of how we go about creating maps and infographics with a layer of engaging storytelling. We hope you find it useful!
“Drawing makes you see things clearer, and clearer, and clearer still.”
Homework challenge
Romeo and Juliet
Have a go at mapping out the plot of Romeo and Juliet. Perhaps you’ll choose to make the narrative follow a path, perhaps you’ll create a map of Verona showing the play’s key locations, or maybe you’ll map the relationships between the characters. There are lots of ways to do it, and we’ve condensed the plot below to remind you of the key moments.
Romeo and Juliet is a play written by Shakespeare. It is a tragic love story where the two main characters, Romeo and Juliet, are supposed to be sworn enemies but fall in love. Due to their families' ongoing conflict, they cannot be together, so they kill themselves because they cannot cope with being separated from one another. Romeo and Juliet is a Shakespearean tragedy.
Two wealthy families, the Montagues and the Capulets, have another brawl in the city of Verona. The Prince and the townspeople cannot cope with the constant fighting so the Prince declares that the next person to break the peace will be killed.
Romeo Montague and his friends gatecrash a Capulet party and Romeo meets Juliet Capulet. He falls in love with her instantly. They are shocked to discover they are sworn enemies due to their feuding families. Friar Laurence marries Romeo and Juliet.
Romeo goes to celebrate his marriage with his friends, Mercutio and Benvolio, but gets into a fight with Juliet's cousin, Tybalt. Tybalt kills Mercutio and Romeo avenges his death by killing Tybalt.
The Prince banishes Romeo because he killed Tybalt. Both Romeo and Juliet are heartbroken.
Capulet, Juliet's father, decides she should marry Paris. Juliet refuses and goes to Friar Laurence where they come up with a plan for Romeo and Juliet to be together.
Juliet fakes her death and lies in a tomb waiting for Romeo to come so they can run away together. Romeo doesn't receive the message about the plan, so thinks Juliet has actually died. He goes to Verona and sees Juliet in her tomb, 'dead'.
Romeo drinks poison so he can be with Juliet in death. She wakes up to discover Romeo is dead. Juliet kills herself with his dagger.
The Capulet and Montague families vow never to argue again.