A Map of the World
Map, Walt Disney World, 1970
Last night I had dinner at Jar with my good friend, Michael Bierut, who is always a perfect dinner partner providing a mix of great stories and smart insights. I regretted the 2 martinis at 3:00 in the morning, but that’s probably a bigger issue. Michael talked about some of the things that tie all designers together. Since I had the two martinis I don’t remember what they were, but I do recall they were smart ideas. I know that as designers, we share the predilection to collect and covet odd items that others find confusing. One of the items that I collect, and you may find this hard to believe, is Disneyland and Walt Disney World maps. I love that there are so many different types. Some rely on illustration to give a simplified overview, while others detail every building. Each exists to help direct a guest around the park, but they all presume different ways that the guest thinks. Anyone who has ever designed a signage program has faced the problem that a client insists on a floor plan for a directory. But, large percentages of people stare at floor plans and have no idea how to read them. The next time an office building or hospital signage program needs a directory, I’m going to follow the cute 3d building and funny people with a trombone style.
Map, Walt Disney World
Map, Walt Disney World
Map, Walt Disney World
Map, Walt Disney World
Map, Disneyland
Map, Disneyland
Map, Disneyland
Map, Disneyland
Map, Disneyland
Map, Disneyland
TV tray, Disneyland
Tags: Collections, Disneyland, Information Design, Jar Restaurant, maps, Michael Bierut, Walt Disney World
October 2nd, 2009 at 2:04 pm
It would be great if the dates of the maps were with the captions. One could see how standards of graphic representation changed over time.
October 2nd, 2009 at 4:31 pm
They need to add an old-lady large-type version for me!
October 2nd, 2009 at 6:39 pm
what about pop-up? wouldn’t pop-up be perfect?
January 12th, 2010 at 11:05 am
Thanks for writing up this post; obviously you’ve given it some thought. I, for one, appreciate you taking the time to do this. At any rate, thanks again and I’ll be back here for more interesting reading.
January 13th, 2010 at 4:00 pm
Thank you for the nice words. You’re the expert here, so it means a lot.