In his preface, the book’s editor Antonis Antoniou notes that “the urge to make maps comes from the intrinsic need to understand the world and the intricate forces that shape it.” In Mind the Map, those artists that are highlighted with an article share how they originally became involved with map design. For example, for illustrator Lucy Engelman, it all began with the childhood “treasure map” she created for her siblings. On the other hand, for graphic artist James Niehues it all started in the pursuit of a career change that combined his life’s passions: travel, photography and sketching. Although all the tales are different, the common underlying theme is an adventurous curiosity and a desire to chart the uncharted, not just to share it with others but to satisfy a personal yearning too.

“The audience is almost always a crucial element for any mapmaker,” says Antoniou, since “along with the variety of map types come heterogeneous audiences with distinct needs, attitudes and expectations.” In truth, the term “map” is a very broad one and encompasses an extremely wide array of interpretations and uses, the sheer variety of which is both successfully and exhaustively showcased in the book where we come across practical maps intended to help orientate travellers in a foreign land, or maps used by advertisers and politicians to sell a specific story. Other map designs are meticulously drawn and intended for public assistance, such as metro maps, while others are tailored to display on mobile devices. Lastly, there are also maps created more as art than for providing concrete instructions, often seen in magazines and novels.

No matter their use, Mind the Map highlights the fact that maps are indispensable pictorial storytelling tools that help not only observe but shape the world we live in. But more than anything, maps feed readers’ imaginations and help them step out from what they know for a while; with a well-drawn map in hand, we can take the “road less travelled” and explore the world with the knowledge that we can easily return home again.