I have a very poor sense of direction ever since I was a kitten, so much so that I’ve joked to friends that I need a map app to lead me to the bathroom in my own house! It’s a real cat-astrophe.

It’s because of this that I’ve relied so much on maps, and from there, I became fascinated with cartography and map design. Particularly from the 20th century and earlier. The way the roads organically grew in most places is visually very interesting to me.

Then I came across a website that sold posters of beautiful modern maps. Street names and labels were removed, and colorful combinations were added to the streets, parks, bodies of water, and so on. These personalized maps were stunning examples of digital cartography. I thought of ordering a few as gifts. However, I choked on the prices as if they were hairballs! Gak.

So I challenged myself to find out how it was done. It took me a while, but I managed to figure it out. I created personalized maps not only for myself but as gifts. Granted, my process was not automatic like that website, but it was a success! I’ve named this “Map as Fine Art” series, blending cartography with artistic expression.

Visit here to see some of the custom map art that I made.

I’ve recently begun to digitally enhance an early 20th-century map, diving into the world of historical cartography. It’s a lot of fun and cathartic for me. I’ll report its progress in a post soon and update this post with a link.

If you’d like a custom map like these and don’t want to use the map websites for whatever reason, hit me up! I can create unique, personalized map art tailored to your preferences. I promise I won’t lead you a-stray.

To think, these fun digital map design projects started because of my ‘purr’ sense of direction… It’s quite the tail!