3 Rules For (Fantasy) Cartography
Alright, so here’s the deal. I down-right stole these from Mike Schley’s talk on the Ship of the Dead podcast. And why you may ask? These three rules resonated with pretty much everything I try to uphold when creating maps. The following article is my take on these rules.
Also, it’s important to note that sometimes, just like in the case of some of my (I believe) coolest work, you just want to start on a clean paper and freestyle the map out of it. If that’s your situation, just go create and don’t let any pretend fantasy cartographer constrain you by some made up rules. Cartography is art, art should give you creative freedom.
Map of Ancient Greece (app. 500 BCE) for Heroes of Bronze series.
So, without any further ado, her are the 3 Rules of (Fantasy) Map-Making.
The map should inspire stories
The map should be easy to read
The map should serve its purpose
The map should be easy to read
Map, as many purposes as it might serve, the main one is generally navigation of some form. For that reason, having a map that is easy to read is essential. Designing for D&D campaign? Your players should be able to easily navigate your world using the map you give them. Mapping a novel world? Chances are that your readers will use it as a point of reference for the storyline and you want them to be able to find their way around quick. Imagine reading the LOTR without having the map at hand, I’d be pretty lost come Buckland. For that reason, make sure that a reader, a player or a traveller can navigate the landscape easily.
If you ever want to test the clarity of your map there’s one simple test — give the map to a random person who’s never seen it and tell them to describe to you their way from point A to point B (or decide on a route based on a task). Having designed the map, you’ll know what you’re looking for and can put that into contrast with what you’ll hear.
The map should serve its purpose
This one I find to be the most important one. As a product designer, this lights up my night sky — the question why?. Why is this map being drawn? Is it commissioned to portray socio-economic landscape in Sub Saharan Africa? Then you might want to stay away from pretty giraffes eating accacia twigs. Is it for the children’s book? Then giraffes might just do.
Before working on a map, it is always important to ask questions. In some time I will hopefully have a comprehensive list of questions to ask before starting a map at hand. But in the meantime, think about
What is the main purpose of the map? Just — why is this map coming to life?
How can this purpose be best relayed in the map? Whether it’s artistic techniques, symbols, iconography, etc.
What are all things, markers, symbols and places which need to be included in the map? I find this to be very important, imagine spending two days mapping out geographically accurate mountain ranges of ancient Greece just to find out you have no space to put city icons and other location markers on the map..
There are many more, but generally these 3 questions will set me up with some solid planning.
The map should inspire stories
For me, this point could be rewritten and one where Mike and I might find a (dis)agreement over. But let’s be honest, the guy’s a legend and I am simply using his ideas to create my content so we all know who’s got the upper hand.
I simply believe that a map should always feel like there’s something new to discover. A map depicts worlds which an adventurer is uncovering and once he’s seen it all, the adventure is over. He takes an arrow in the knee and hands the map to another.
When I was a kid I had this globe, definitely made in DDR, that was for most part pretty hectic with all the place names, border lines, dots, arrows, and all that jazz. Even after 30 years, whenever I take a look at it I find a new place I want to go — it isn’t the markers and out-of-date color palette that prompts the wanderlust, it’s the narrative that the map helps create in reader’s head. I always want from my maps to do the same. To help adventurers dream of great treasures and heroic journeys beyond their own self.
“I wisely started with a map, and made the story fit (generally with meticulous care for distances). The other way about lands one in confusions and impossibilities, and in any case it is weary work to compose a map from a story.”
Last but not least, if you’re in business of creating maps, do just that. These are more of a guidelines to help me navigate the project I am working on not to get lost. So don’t let me impose any of this wanna-be-wisdom on you and only take what works for you.
I am not a master cartographer, simply one in the making and I would be immensely happy for any feedback. This is also my very first article on the topic and I do believe it will definitely be subject to revisison in the future. For more content, do visit me on Ko-Fi(still a work in progress) and Instagram.
Cheers,
Fil
