What Is Narrative Cartography?
Legend has it that deep in the Utah desert, you’ll find a road that takes you past several unremarkable hillsides and eventually brings you to a small, hand-carved wooden signpost with a faded painting of a parakeet.
Erected in the 1970s according to local lore, the once-colorful signpost has been dulled and grayed by years of harsh weathering, but if you find it, if it still stands, if it truly exist, you know you are close to what is known as the “Little Grand Canyon” - a rugged canyon carved by the San Rafael River, a river named by early Spanish Franciscan friars traveling along the Old Spanish Trail. And yes, there are other, more logical (and safer) ways to reach the Little Grand Canyon using GPS, Map Apps, etc., but this little-known path and the stories of those who navigated the region long before us are at the heart of what is Narrative Cartography.
Captains’ Logs, Navigational Charts, and Storytelling
Historical expedition maps were rarely just coordinates. Throughout the ages, map-making (Cartography) blended geography and human experiences. Journals, sketches, observations, and stories often traveled alongside maps and nautical charts, giving future explorers a richer picture of the landscape, coastlines, and cultures they would likely encounter while navigating territories across the globe.
Mapping Layers: Utility vs Narrative
Today, we generally experience maps in two distinct layers. The digital Utility Layer is focused purely on routes. Powered by GPS satellites, GIS databases, and smartphones, its goal is to get you from Point A to Point B as fast as possible.
Then, there is the Narrative Layer. Rooted in the rich storytelling traditions of historical map-making, these maps are less about how to navigate to a place, and more about showing the history, character, and meaning that exists within a location. They are created by hand, either through traditional illustration or digital tools, to illustrate exactly why a place matters.
This approach to design is Narrative Cartography: the study and practice of mapping history, ecology, and personal journeys.
In short, a utility map tells you where you are, and a narrative map helps you understand where you are. And when thinking about creating and designing maps, I’m often reminded of the quote, “The map is not the territory,” by Alfred Korzybski, in 1931.*
Fall Lines & Maps - The Studio:
Fall Lines & Maps focuses entirely on the Narrative layer. We are not a technology company or a GIS engineering firm, and we don’t build navigational apps.
We practice the art of Narrative Cartography: visually explaining why a landscape matters, preserving the stories it holds, and honoring the places worth protecting for generations to come. We combine field research, archival history, interviews, geographic data, and hand illustration to create custom maps that reveal the true character of a place.
Partnering With Fall Line
Every landscape has more than one story to tell. There is the geological, the ecological, and the human story. There are the stories of the animals that depend on the land, the people who discovered it, and the organizations that actively protect it. We help you shape and tell those stories, visually, so others can see and understand the value and reasons why the place matters.
We help you shape and tell those stories visually, so others can instantly see the value of a place. Whether you are documenting a conservation effort, mapping a historic or family expedition, or elevating guest experiences at a backcountry lodge and outfitter, we create custom-designed, hand-illustrated maps that tell the story of the lands that matter to you.
