NACIS annual meeting: aesthetics of mapping

The North American Cartographic Information Society (NACIS) is holding its annual meeting in Portland, Oregon next week (17-19th Oct). The annual carto-fest will cover a range of themes including a special series of sessions on the aesthetics of mapping co-sponsored by the ICA Map Design Commission. The idea behind the sessions is to bring together a wide range of academic, practicing, commercial and entrepreneurial cartographers to discuss the definition, role, value and purpose of ‘aesthetics’ in modern cartography.  There is no agenda other than to bring light on the often thorny subject of the importance of beauty and the aesthetic in mapping.  If you’re going to NACIS, or indeed are taking part then please do join in what promises to be a fascinating discussion. Commission co-chair Bernhard Jenny is attending the conference and we’ll report the key findings here after the conference.

Aesthetics of mapping I Thursday 8:15-10:00
Beyond Map Layout and Design… Aesthetics? George F. McCleary, Jr, University of Kansas

Forum discussion
Victoria Vesna, School of the Arts–UCLA
Elijah Meeks, Digital Humanities–Stanford University
Johannes Moenius, Spatial Economic Analysis–University of Redlands
Stuart Allan, Raven Maps
George McCleary, University of Kansas
Nathaniel Vaughn Kelso, Stamen Design
Bernard Jenny Geosciences, Oregon State University

Break-out discussion
Maps as Destinations and Portals
Iconography
Design Principles
Tools, Techniques, and Technology

Aesthetics of mapping II Thursday 10:15-12:00

Design is Not Making Things Pretty. It is (not-so-simply) Making Things Sam Pepple, Sample Cartography

Style and Taste, Mark Denil, National Ice Center

The Impotence of Maps, or Deconstructing the Deconstruction of their Construction, Daniel “daan” Strebe, Mapthematics

Aesthetics of mapping summary Friday 3:45-5:00

Findings, conclusions, recommendations (to be presented at the closing session