Multiple Perspectives in Design

Abstract
The depiction of the world by means of world maps makes design perspective an issue of cartography. In design issues, world maps have different purposes, such as in the field of information graphics. The geographical centres of conventional world maps are usually defined by
the Equator that forms the horizontal axis, rather than by the thematically relevant geographical
area of the map’s topic. Conventional world maps are commonly used without much thought to
the relationship between the map’s theme and its geographical centre. These prevailing conventions are responsible for the specific worldview that emerges from a unique perspective and
a unique ideological point of view. This raises the question: what if world maps could be designed with different perspectives?
“Mapping World Maps” answers this question by proposing
a principle for generating unconventional world maps. Special-purpose software has now been
developed (www.worldmapgenerator.com) to generate wholly new varieties of world maps.