I think this is great.

This one is great, but I actually like the black one better.

It looks beautiful! Though I guess I would have preferred all the countries to be named on the map, so that I could use it as a reference. Still quite beautiful, though.

It's beautiful -- turquoise and mustard are pretty much my favorite colors -- but to me a world map that doesn't list the names of many countries loses serious functionality points. Just the other night a friend and I were trying to recall exactly where Estonia was and, lo and behold, the world map on her wall actually *told* us.

Why is this modern? No names on the map? I don't get it. $75 for a map that's incomplete?

Can’t understand why some countries have been left blank. And really can’t understand why Ireland has the United Kingdom plonked all over it.
Irritating

Yeah - it's very cute, but missing most of the countries...that's not useful. Maps, first and foremost, must be useful. Calling it a "map" and not simply "art" does it a disservice. Apparently our globe's sloppy borders and lengthy country names just aren't "modern" or "simple"... ; )

It's maplike art. It is not a map.

(cartographer)

This is visually attractive, but maps are always political and I'm not sure the designers have thought through the politics that are suggested by this "map."

This is really beautiful, I checked their website and they have lots of great stuff I could imagine hanging on my wall.

But.. why so expensive?!?

Like what everyone said: it's cute to look at, but not every functional. The text for my country, the US, is so HUGE (at least in the picture) eeeek. My other country, UAE, is left out. Maybe you can include a pen for DIY corrections?

This seems pretty useless, not to mention infuriating, if it's purpose is to be in any way educational or informative - half the countries aren't labelled at all, the entire island of Ireland appears to be part of the United Kingdom (come on, really?).

I can't believe the people who designed this couldn't find a functional map anywhere - if they're that desperate I can send them the fine (all countries labelled) one I have hanging on my kitchen wall.

+1 justinrich This is artwork, to decorate. It's purpose is not to teach you geography but to look nice.

Hey, thanks for the great feedback everyone! It's so awesome to be featured here... we read AT every day so it's kind of a dream come true!

Here's some clarification on our intent with this collection. Our philosophy is that we don't need to label every single area on a purely decorative piece like this. That's what makes conventional maps so cluttered and unsuitable for display in a fine art context. We think of our work as an artistic overview of a geographic area, not as a technically complete representation of the region.

There are plenty of options out there for those who want a Rand McNally style political map, complete with every single boundary, countries, and capitals. That's why we created a map that retains a basic level of functionality while emphasizing its decorative potential.

Thanks again for taking the time to share your thoughts about our stuff. We really, really appreciate it! :)

Hey maybe these guys could re-design a dictionary and just leave out the words they don't use, it would make just as much sense as this pointless piece of paper.

When our search turned up nothing but glossy posters and cheap antique reproductions we knew it was time to design our own.

How can they criticise other people's work when they sat down to "redesign" the map and actually made something worse. It's not designed, design should have some function, this work is next to useless!

Oh give me a break, folks.

It's pretty darn clear from the artists' statement that they were looking for a decorative map and created their own after failing to find one that suited their aesthetic.

Maybe all the naysayers here should go harass this Etsy seller about the inaccurate profile in their depiction of United States -- not to mention the exclusion of Hawaii and Alaska! How inaccurate! Tsk! For shame!

As for functional maps, watch this West Wing clip that will blow your mind about how inaccurate many maps of the globe actually are.

It's just decorative people. And it's still a map.

If it's "decorative" then they shouldn't have used the word design to justify it.

...it was time to design our own

I'm a designer and the incorrect use of the word annoys me.

The ETSY example never mentions design, it's plainly decorative.

Beautiful! I want one on my wall.

pygment,

A lot of us are designers, and I, for one, think you're splitting hairs -- and poorly at that.

Interior designers sometimes make purely decorative choices -- does that negate their status as designers? No.

How about textile designers? They design patterns that are decorative. Is it wrong to call one of their decorative patterns a design? Heck no.

If your argument is to nitpick defining art and design separately, do (some) artists not need to plan -- i.e. design -- their pieces? Do you think the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel sprung forth from Michelangleo's mind fully formed? No, he had to plan, plot, and design it. And guess what, in addition to being beautiful art, its purpose was to be decorative!

Here's what the rules say:

What Designs Are Eligible?

• One original design that has reached prototype stage or beyond.

• No designs are eligible that have been purchased by or licensed to another company.

• Designs can be for home furnishings, accessories, lighting, appliances or textiles.

If it goes into the home, we're open to it. It can be decor, furnishing or materials related, just don't send us a car design.

Here's what pygment says:

If it's "decorative" then they shouldn't have used the word design to justify it.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

Uh, before something becomes decorative, someone has to "design" and "create" it into existence.

I would be more impressed if this were both decorative and functional.

@akay--

You had me until your last line regarding the Sistine Chapel:

The purpose of Rennaisance Religious artwork was never merely decorative. Since the vast majority of laypeople couldn't read, Religious artwork (and other than portraits of royalty - What other kind was there?) was intended to act as illustrations of the stories of the bible, symbolize great power as well as impress upon the observers the "God-Given" authorty of the Christian Church.

@ jenadrion - I think your explanation is a bit of a cop out. There is a balance between labelling every village and rewriting history - the apparent labelling of Ireland as "United Kingdom" is either thoughtless or lazy, but either way it is offensive to a lot of people. For all I know there are other similar examples elsewhere in the "map", this one just happens to be visible in one of the close-ups. As tiffanypw notes, maps are always political.

I love these prints - they have gorgeous color. Definitely not accurate maps, but they are so decorative and simple. I would definitely buy to decorate my home (not educate!) if they were a bit less pricey. Maybe in due time!

As for @akay's video link: Not too sure I'd believe a clip from the fictional TV show West Wing as fact, however, but it's definitely a great place to start to investigate ideas/conspiracies such as that.

Lots of people noticed Ireland--but it also looks like the map doesn't have a line separating Serbia from Montenegro or Kosovo. There's a couple more ethnically insensitive oversights.

There also isn't a dotted line between Morocco and Western Sahara, but that's not as big a deal.

If you are going to market something as a "modern world map" at least use modern borders.

Oh, also just noticed that all the countries in the Lesser Antilles weren't even awarded dots.

This map is a beautiful decorative piece, however I couldn't put a factually incorrect map on my wall. Decorative appeal does not trump facts.

creative + map = crap

It never ceases to amaze me how powerful our sense of nation/state identity or professional identity (designer vs not a designer, art vs not art) can become. This attachment to our personal perspective only strengthens the separation between us as people and limits our ability to open to the true beauty that exists in our world. Come on folks art comes in infinite forms, not all of it lights all of us up, but all of it has beauty, and thus, value as all things do. It's just a matter of the lens we hold up to view it. J+O also didn't include the different identified elements of the known universe either. Can't wait to see that map....oh yeah...look here <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaI6BkDkgvs>
The lens portrayed in the video helps me when I feel like I know that my perspective is the truth. Hummm. Keep those maps a comin'

@bepsf, all excellent points -- and I didn't mean to imply that decoration was the sole intent, but more so that the fresco certainly decorates the ceiling (kind of a square is a rectangle, but a rectangle is not a square situation). You're absolutely right, instruction through shock and awe was a biggie for the Renaissance church.

@nzeeb, nope, it's all true! Look up the Mercator Projection and the Gall-Peters Projection -- you'll find the West Wing video accurate. It's just more entertaining to post that video than a link to Wikipedia page full of complex mathematical equations, ya know? ;)

I love, love, love these as map-inspired artwork but, yeah, the "rationale" behind redesigning a map just doesn't really make sense. Just call it a pretty print that's a riff on cartography!

Keep it away from children!

Funny someone said keep it away from children - I was going to say just the opposite. This map is a lot less intimidating than the ones I grew up with, and by age 7 I was frustrated.

A map like this would have made the whole process a lot more enjoyable. Inaccuracies and vagueness - don't matter at that age. What 8 year old needs to have memorized every part of the world?

I disapprove of inaccurate information - but that can be corrected if we spark a learning interest in kids.

Maybe people should think of this as a *suggestion* of a map, rather than an actual map. It's not supposed to be a teaching tool.

I'd like this more, if it were more functional,such as perhaps naming more countries that we are not so aware of,and leaving exactly the big obvious ones blank. Or if at least the country names wouldn't go over a bunch of countries. Ethiopia is just ridiculous. Most people don't even know which one it is out of the ones that the name is written through.
Yes, I get that it's artsy, but it just got lost way too much in the functional aspect.
The price is steep too.

I don't think the their work is finished, it's certainly no better than the work they are trying to compete against - because they are proper maps.

Simply put, if I was shopping for a world map I wouldn't buy this because it doesn't have the information I want (I often might want to find a particular country or a capital city).

Oh yeah and I'm Irish.

@akay - If it's a map it should be just that - a map. If an interior designer creates a living room in a hall space with no seats is it still a living room? Have they completed their brief?

It's funny that so many of you art/design lovers are so adamant on FACTS (and I assume you are lovers, or at least appreciate it, since you're on this website in the first place).. Everyone commenting on the negative backlash an "unfinished" map, as it has been dubbed, can cause should stop and consider what art is meant to do. It's meant to spark conversation, debate, etc. So I think this piece of artwork has done it's job, don't you? PS- I agree and definitely prefer the black version of this map: http://thesearethings.bigcartel.com

Lo from LA, what's really funny is that this has overwhelmingly good votes. The naysayers will whine, but the masses have spoken: we likey.

Ditto to Lo from LA, bepsf, creative license, akay, VisuaLingualLtd...

Am I taking crazy pills, or isn't it dead obvious that they just wanted something that's both stylish and mappish to put on their wall? They weren't trying to reformulate the equations that cartographers use to plot maps (BTW, cool link, akay).

And hey, no one seems to be complaining about the overly geometrical/simplified boundary lines on each country, but those are just as incorrect as the country mis- or non-labelings. This is a nice piece of aesthetic niceness, not a classroom map that we'll later have a pop quiz on.

And wait, who still uses large wall maps as reference? If you need to look up a map, do you actually go find a map on a wall, or do you google/bing/whatever it?

What year is this??

@defaultname: "what's really funny is that this has overwhelmingly good votes."

it's because giving a rating of one star is one star too many. i didn't vote because there is no zero stars voting option.

I have to agree that this map should be perhaps called something that signifies it is not aiming for accuracy first and foremost. Americans are ignorant enough already.

Geographically accurate world maps may not be labelled any differently than this one in a store, so yeah, it should have a disclaimer of some kind.

yikes... some of you are so picky.
go ahead--- design, print & make your own.
No one is saying that you should buy this one.

I don't like that the creators of this keep implying that (real, usable) maps are aesthetically displeasing. There are beautiful maps out there. Those maps may not be cartoonishly bright or have a childish midcentury-ish look, but they manage to combine form and function in a way that this piece does not. Being able to balance those things is true design. This is not.

I'd love to vote zero on this one. I've read many of the comments including the response from the designers, but still don't get the logic of leaving stuff out. Why not shake things and leave "United States" out if it's that important not to give all countries space on the "map", mark borders correctly and name things correctly? If the intention isn't to walk over others, then why not finish one's work?

I think good art stirrs controversey, and this one certainly has. I agree that the map is not "accurate", but so long as the artists give fair warning to buyers that this is more of an interpretation than correct cartography, then it's fine.

lol @ 'true design'

Great map! I was looking for something similar months ago and ran into the same trouble, all the maps were too technical and nothing artsy to be used as decoration. I really like this!

As for these negative comments. Sounds a lot like internet bulliying and not constructive critiscm to me. This is someones artwork in a competition, it's ok to have an opinion but why purposefully say hurtful things?

Please be more respectful! :)

Maps are SO politically loaded. The designers should be more careful about this. I don't think it's right they are getting so many votes.

Agreed it's art! We may see this up in someone's actual wall in a future AT house call and repeat how nice it is an appropriate for their space. I am prideful so I wouldn't get this which is missing 3 of the 4 countries that defines my heritage (only U.S. identified).

But I have been on the search for a while for a lovely take on a functional world map (i.e. 90% countries identified) to place on my living room wall. Any suggestions?