Finding Our Backbone

I’m going to be honest with you Dawgs… Before this class, I really did not appreciate the level of care that goes into our maps and wayfinding visual aids. Maps and wayfinding tools are abundant among human societies, and some are just necessary. A wayfinding tool can simply be the remembering of a landmark and because of that remembrance, we have this amazing ability to be able to estimate our location in the town, city, country, and the world.

Wayfinding visual aids are so much more than lines and colors. They are, in essence, our peace.

Let me explain. When we are thrown into unfamiliar territory with no context of how we got there; it is probable that many of us would see a rise in our stress levels. Hypothetically speaking, we could be in ‘heaven’ or a heavenly place. A place that exudes peace, love, and safety through its décor and setting, but if heaven does not have a map or some sort of wayfinding tool to get around; we all would probably be quite anxiety-ridden. We are in our supposed Nirvana, but without any clue of direction or location that Nirvana could quickly turn into a hell.

Wayfinding may not seem so important, and it’s a topic that can be easily overlooked, but it is essential for humanity to have devices that can inform us of where we are going. They are survival necessities and I believe that’s why they are so easy to overlook. A world without any sort of wayfinding tools, mentally-noted landmarks or otherwise, could become near the equivalency of all-of-a-sudden running out of any sort of food. That is how essential wayfinding is amongst our societies.

Without wayfinding tools, we are depending on luck for our next meal or drink of water. Without wayfinding, we become severely limited in our abilities and our resources.

Fortunately for us, we have the inherent skill and ability to ‘way find’ for ourselves. It’s similar to breathing. We don’t think about it sometimes, but you just do it. Our ability to do this act, and devise tools to make it more precise, more clear, and accessible has, in my opinion, been a backbone to human civilization.

Further, maps are not technically a necessity. Given enough time most humans would probably figure out how to navigate through their environment by simply learning through trial and error, but with the use of an aid, such as a map, we are able to move and grow at unprecedented speeds compared to the rest of our animal brethren.

The people who create new and improved wayfinding visual aids, that are clear and understandable, are some of the most important people in our daily lives. These people create tools that are easy to use, easily accessible, and not confusing. The best of them know what is “too much information” vs. “not enough information” and without them, we would, quite literally, be lost.

Let’s take a look at a bad map vs. a good map.

This first map is of the Tokyo subway. I feel that it is extremely convoluted with immense amounts of information that boggle the mind, and honestly, I don’t want to look at it anymore because there is just too much information flow on it. I’m succumbing to my ‘lostness’ and I’d rather just figure it out on my own.

Let’s compare the Tokyo subway map to the Washington D.C. metro map. The D.C. map is extremely clear, more detailed information is easy to pick out if need be and has bright distinct colors that help our brains separate the different tracks. I don’t know about you, but I could look at the Washington D.C. map all day.  

Anyways, if you can’t find your bone… just use a good map.

Chew on that bone for awhile Dawgs