Upgrade to Pro — share decks privately, control downloads, hide ads and more …

Adapting Theories of Form, Style, and Meaning for Map Design

Maggie
October 09, 2014
700

Adapting Theories of Form, Style, and Meaning for Map Design

Ian Muehlenhaus, James Madison University
All visual communication has form. At its most basic, form is the system of relations among the elements of a communication or artistic expression. A communication's form drives its style and potential meaning by limiting and guiding a viewer's perception. Cartographers are aware that maps have form (e.g., map balance, visual hierarchy), but when designing and critiquing maps they often focus on the elements comprising the form (e.g., data richness, GUIs), an individual element's impact on interpretation (e.g., square versus circular symbol), and how objective the map appears (i.e., quantifiable accuracy). Here the author attempts to adapt more theoretical concepts of form - as expressed in literature, film, and graphics research - to map design. It is argued that these concepts may help us better address ongoing questions about map aesthetics, as well as guide narrative, argumentative, and expository map design.

Maggie

October 09, 2014
Tweet

Transcript

  1. Adapting  Theories  of  Form,  Style,     and  Meaning  for

     Map  Design     Ian  Muehlenhaus   James  Madison  University   @imuehlenhaus   www.ian.muehlenhaus.com  
  2. Problem  Honing  in  on  Map  Aesthetics   They  Change  with

     Audience   They  Change  over  Time  
  3. Cartographers  Help  Map  Readers  Create  Meanings   To  create  is

     not  to  have  an  idea   that  searches  for  its  form;     to  create  is  rather  to  have  a  form   that  searches  for  its  meaning.   –  Gunnar  Olsson,  1984  
  4. Affective  Communication  is  Shaped  by  Form   Form  is  the

     creaCon  of  an  appeCte  in   the  mind  of  an  auditor,  and  the   adequate  saCsfying  of     that  appeCte.   –  Kenneth  Burke,  1968:  31.   This  form  creates  an  appeCte…  
  5. Outer  Form   What  is  being  presented  in   the

     story:   –  Shaded  relief   –  Camping  ameni>es   –  Eleva>on  points   –  Park  areas   –  Scenic  Byway   –  Major  Roads   –  Overlooks   –  Rest  rooms   –  Legend     From  Wellek  and  Warren,  1956  
  6. Inner  Form   The  tone,  goals,  and  purpose  of  the

     communicaCon  given   an  intended  audience.    From  Wellek  and  Warren,  1956.  
  7. Eloquence  (i.e.,  Aesthetic)   Karl  Sluis   NaConal  Park  Service

      Mary  Elmer   The  minimizaCon  of  audience  interest  in  fact.  –  K.  Burke,  1968:  37  
  8. Mannered Styled Mannered Styled Benefits   •  Conven>onal  and  easy

     to   interpret     •  Referen>al  meanings  are   typically  clear   Drawbacks   •  Monotony  among  viewers   •  Danger  that  viewers  are  less   likely  to  be  affected   •  Non-­‐referen>al  meanings   more  likely  to  be   overlooked       ConvenConal  representaCons  that  follow  predictable  and  established  norms.  
  9. Mannered Styled Mannered Styled Benefits   •  Generally  more  complex

      and  interes>ng  for  viewers   •  Pushes  the  envelope  for   mannered  maps,  with  some   concepts  geTng  coopted   Drawback   •  Lack  of  conven>on  may   make  your  audience  so   uncomfortable  they  miss   most  or  all  meanings   UnconvenConal  representaCons  that  break  the  norms  of  their  given  genre.  
  10. Adapting  Theories  of  Form,  Style,     and  Meaning  for

     Map  Design     Ian  Muehlenhaus   James  Madison  University   @imuehlenhaus   www.ian.muehlenhaus.com