Woodblock cartography

Ukiyo-e — 17th century style for modern maps [Add Ukiyo-e to my account]( [Ukiyo-e]( is inspired by the style of Japanese woodblock prints of the same name that flourished from the 17th through 19th century. The subjects of these prints ranged from kabuki theater to folktales, but I’ve alway felt especially moved by images of nature. The atmospheric textures contrasting against bold patterns and accent colors seemed to play perfectly on a map. [Explore Ukiyo-e]( Behind the design Browsing through galleries of woodblock pints, I knew immediately that I wanted my map to have a tactile quality to it. To mimic the paper and ink of woodblock prints, I chose a limited palette of muted colors with accents of warmer hues which I used mainly for POIs and roads. I love the use of geometric patterns in [Ukiyo-e](, so I made a few seamless patterns to lay over the water and national parks. I particularly enjoyed looking up different types of Japanese ornamental art (think fancy origami papers!) to derive symbols that I could use for parks, airports, and large cities. Left to right: pattern for water texture, parks texture, symbols for national parks, cities, and large cities. Make this map your own by altering the icons, patterns, or changing the font. [Build with Ukiyo-e]( Meet the designer Mai is a UX designer at Mapbox. She loves ice cream and drawing comics. Get to know her by exploring [Ukiyo-e](. [Unsubscribe]( | [View this email online]() © 2017 Mapbox | 1509 16th St NW, Second Floor, Washington, DC 20036