Continuing my series of emotion-inspired maps of Seattle, I chose nostalgia for this piece centered on Ballard, a neighborhood I associate with some of my favorite memories. Ballard has an old-school charm to it: old brick, quiet tree-lined streets, flickering signs. I wanted the map to capture that hazy, bittersweet feeling of looking back at a place you love.
So, how does one make a map look nostalgic? I stared at old photos like the one above for inspiration and came up with this:
- Cursive writing, like the kind you’d find in old letters or postcards
- Sepia tones and desaturated colors
- A soft charcoal vignette to give it the grainy texture of an old photo
- Labels based on memories rather than place names
The result is part map, part memory. My own sentimental sketch of Ballard.
Leave a Reply