Happy Tell-a-Joke Day. Today the joke is on overly serious cartographers.
Please do let me know if you find anything inaccurate or of professionally negligent about this map.
To steal a line from Richard D. James (a.k.a., Aphex Twin): … I care because you do. 😉
Web Mapper GPT Initial Prompt
Hi. Sunday is National Make a Joke Day.
American cartographers are serious. Like… way too serious about maps. They think they are really, really important. And they can be, but most maps are not. In fact, the importance of a map is directly relatable only to the utility it has for anyone at a given time, I would argue. And that’s no joke.
So for this day, the joke will be the map itself. The rhetorical argument we will be making with this map is that maps are a joke. They all lie. They all distort. They all make arguments. And today, on National Make a Joke Day, this map is going to be perfect, because it is a joke. And American cartographers need to chill out, because maps really don’t matter in the grand scheme of things compared to almost anything else.
Please create a map of the US as unnecessarily distorted and haphazard as possible. Perhaps resize the states in inverse order of their actual populations and move them around so they aren’t where they are supposed to be.
Rename the states after famous comedians or pop stars that were born in those states (e.g., Minnesota, which may now be down where California used to be, randomly, and resized quite large given it’s relatively small population, might be named Dylanville (after Bob Dylan) or after a famous comedian who lived there… though, none come to mind.)
For each state, when you hover over or click on it, provide a unique joke that pokes fun or deals with that state. Not too insulting but something based on truth. Each state needs a unique joke. The joke doesn’t have to be cartographic at all, but it should deal with that given state.
Dumb jokes are fine. A little cutting is fine. No jokes based on poverty, race, discrimination, or anything else potentially inflammatory.
Give the map a title something like… “The joke’s on you…” Subtitle: National Make a Joke Day, August 16, 2026.
Put the title across the bottom of the map. Everything above the fold, though. On mobile, keep the title fixed to the bottom.
Include a hamburger icon. When clicked, show a sources modal that says (please rephrase to be a bit kinder and wittier):
“American cartographers need to lighten up. This map is meant to help those who think every generalization decision and every map inaccuracy is fraught with peril realize that nobody is going to die from half-assed maps. And no one outside of online echo chambers cares how inaccurate or unfunny this map is. Loosen up a little. It’ll be really good for you and society at large.”
Explain how each state is sized and arranged. Make a funny remark somewhat akin to: “Please let us know if you think of any way to improve the accuracy or the validity of this map. We care because you do…”
Made for the [#365DaysOfMaps campaign]\([https://mapdesign.icaci.org](https://mapdesign.icaci.org)) of the Map Design Commission for the ICA.
The map should be interactive. Please export as a zip package. Thanks!