About the author and TERRA NAVIGA

Epameinondas Kaiafas, author and owner of TERRA NAVIGA is a self-educated master designer - illustrator, sculptor and painter.  Born in 1973 in a middle sized city called Volos in central Greece, located in the mythical shadow of Mount Pelion. With a sincere interest in all aspects of visual arts from early childhood he grew up to become a self-taught visual artist, all though he never had the chance to follow the usual academic curriculum in fine arts.   He is working in graphic design over the past 17 years, eight of them as an employee in a graphic design studio and the last nine as an entrepreneur, master of his own studio. He is specialized in the creation of handmade illustrated maps using the same creative technics of the old masters.

TERRA NAVIGA is a creative studio specialized on the production of handmade illustrated maps. During the last 3 years we produced two (2) illustrated maps for the historic centers of the cities of Amsterdam and Haarlem and we are working at the moment on the historic center of Nicosia in Cyprus. You can view them by visiting our website   www.terranaviga.com 

Apart from the present maps, which we are the legal owners of its Copyright, and which we offer for sale, we have completed over the last 9 years more than 30 other illustrated maps of distinguished Greek destinations on behalf of  Public Authorities and Counties of Greece as well as for Commercial publishers of Greek interests ( Topiography – St. Logotheti editions). Some of them can be viewed in our website under the title “Other works” as well as in the present blog right below and they are included in our website for presentational purposes only, as samples of our creative work, since their copyright is property of  Topiography - St. Logotheti editions.

ATHENS HISTORICAL CENTER

ATHENS CITY

VOLOS CITY & SUBERBS

NAFPLIO FIRST CAPITAL CITY OF GREECE

As a creative studio we are constantly active towards in completing more illustrated maps in order to create a new series of products that can make a difference in the world of travel information. Therefore we are always interested in Business to Business cooperation’s so we can increase the availability of our present designs in a wider clientele. 

We are able to produce any kind of illustrated map for any place around the world. From small towns to big capitals as well as wider geographical areas (Municipalities, Counties, national parks etc.), always guarantying for the same topographical accuracy.

Our illustrated maps have a series of commercial applications and 
a variety of product forms in which they can be offered to the final consumers. Some of them we suggest in our present blog and our website under the title “Modern uses and applications”..

We believe our maps not only they will be a great addition to any Tourist Guide circulating at the moment for the city of Amsterdam and Haarlem but they can stand as individual products since they hold a highly efficient accuracy as maps and an outstanding aesthetic value as handmade illustrations in a very traditional way.

Epameinondas Kaiafas                                                                                                                           Master designer - Author of TERRA NAVIGA

Addres: Georgiou Stokkou 12 Strovolos, Nicosia, CYPRUS

Mobile: 00357 97667037

Email 1: terranaviga.end@gmail.com                                                                                              Email 2:  info@terranaviga.com

Illustrated maps - A journey in time

   Illustrated maps appear in the history of geographical science approximately 700 years ago and mainly in the region of Central and South Europe. As artifacts were and still remain a complicated and time consuming endeavour in terms of completion. This is the reason why in the old days only a prototype was produced and in some rear cases very few copies, each one of which was made entirely in hand by specialized craftsmen. Most of the times, the recipients of such maps were official authorities of the territory portrayed.

  This status however changed with the presence of premature typography which contributed in the reproduction΄s increase of such maps in hundreds of copies, making them available to a wider public  well-off merchants mostly  who were interested in ¨advertising¨ their city and its commercial services.

  From that point on, hundreds of craftsmen, unknown or distinguished, were hired and sent to every big civil center in order to cartograph in a legible and comprehensive way, places of commodities΄ production which arrived in Central Europe from all over the world. In this way, everyone interested in investing money to a territory, could have a clear image of it, observe the fluctuations of growth in several civil centers and cultivate a wider and more substantial perception of the world which, at that time, was still under exploration.

  The commercial and touristic promotion had found the most suitable tool for its management. This tool was the illustrated maps that accompanied every travel and commercial manual as well as every Atlas of local or world-wide Geography.

  Their usefulness and efficiency is proved by the enormous and massive production - reaching hundreds of thousands - that took place during the last four centuries and the eminent position that - the ones which have survived in time - occupy nowadays in several museums around the world. Today, illustrated maps, beyond their unquestionable artistic worth, carry a historical value as well because they give the potentiality to scholars to follow and comprehend - through their succession - the civil, commercial and social development of cities that had been cartographer in different successive periods of their growth.

In the early years of 20^th century a “scientific spirit” appeared in all aspects of design and art “calling” for the abolishment of every “nonscientific” element in the “modern” creative process. This approach, resulted in the elimination of any illustration that was “not necessary” and in that way deprived the art of cartography of its most enjoyable and useful feature. During the past century the city maps after a half millennium continuity of being an illustrated sensational experience, became the “dry” topographical vertical overview that puzzled since then any reader or traveler, unfamiliar to their use.

A topographical vertical overview no matter how useful might be to an urban civil engineer or to a colonel of artillery, can be a real torture for an untrained reader who tries to navigate with it in a new urban environment. Thus producing the very common icon of a group or a single tourist standing in a city corner turning his map like a wheel left and right, while at the same moment he turns his head all around trying to understand where he is standing! Especially in difficult terrains such as the most city centers are, using a map like the one mentioned can make someone feel lost in a greater degree than if he did not used it!!

That’s why the last two decades the illustration in cartography made a great comeback reappearing in the map surfaces. The first step came by adding sketches of the most significant monuments in the city, in order to provide the eye of the reader with some reference points. 

As the time passes by, even more map designers and publishers try to add this kind of illustrations in their maps, or they create full illustrated maps, the so called “bird’s eye view” which are literally a 3D prospective design of the area depicted. 

Even in the modern era of the satellite real images, a vertical overview image of an urban area is less useful and certainly less impressive than an ankle view that creates a 3D impression. That’s why now days, also in the digital satellite platforms the new tendency is the option for the user to create an ankle view of the terrain in which the buildings are popping up as 3D models on the satellite image transforming the boring flat image in a joy full spectacle.

And there we have it! Handmade or computerized, printed or digital the illustration is returning in cartography with great passes once more!

“A small step backwards for the designer is coming as an easier step forward for the traveler...!”       

Illustrated chartography - why today

  The printed cartography illustrated or not, is the answer to a series of needs that appear between every man and a new place he is called to act in. These needs remain unchangeable in time and closely connected to the intelligence and feelings of man. A variety of relations with the surrounding space occur when a person stays or passes through a geographical point.

  Everyone, deliberately or not, is an amateur cartographer who tries to understand the geographical and topographical composition of a place he visits or lives in. The natural curiosity and the explorating mood that exist in every man, creates a basic need to gather information of general or specific character.

  In questions like which is the town-building system of a settlement, the position of a specific monument, the location of a museum when standing in front of the monument mentioned or the sculpture of an extensive geographical area and its basic road network, only a printed map can give an efficient answer.

  This is the reason why nowadays hundreds of millions of maps are printed and sold around the world. Most of them belong to the category of Topographical maps which are simpler in the making. A Topographical map is no more than a cross-section of the place that portrays and has an inventory in coded symbols of all information that a reader needs. People who are not accustomed to their use, find their reading troubling.

  In contradiction to a Topographical, an Illustrated map visualizes on the designed surface all the information that a reader needs not in coded symbols but in their real form.

  Literally, this means that the reader does not need to decode what his eyes see because the information is transferred within a second directly and accurately. Everything is in front of him as it should and as it actually is in form.

  The maximization of efficiency in an illustrated map is achieved because it is designed from the beginning not as a cross-section but with a prospective depth. This means it is designed not vertically as seen from above but with an angle (usually 45 degrees) from the ground. In this way it gets a trimensional texture and becomes more familiar to the observer΄s eye which is also designed to capture the trimensional reality of the world.

  For someone though who begins to design a Prospective Topographical map of a city manually, with zero loss of topographical information, requires a series of deformations that has to do (of course only with the topographical image and not the topographical reality).

  The designer may for example enhance or diminute the size of building squares but he can΄t do the same with their number or position.

  All these deformations are made in order to give the illusion of a trimensional surface (on the dimensional paper) and emphasize on the information that is more important than other (ex. the location and form of specific monuments, museums, squares etc. as well as the exact shape of a central road network or other areas such as a historic centre of a city, a big park).

  Because of the reasons mentioned above, illustrated maps are also called Trimensional (3D) illustrations or “birds eye views”and belong to the category of those maps of a variable scale.

  All these special characteristics make an Illustrated map today - as it used in earlier years as well - an exceptionally easy to use and functional tool so as to “read” a whole place while at the same time it keeps his highly artistic value as a pictorial hand-made product.

  With a map like this in hand, a visitor or a new inhabitant of a city can navigate safely in it, have each moment the advantage of an overall and at the same time a specific view of a place, locate extremely easily everything he might be interested in to visit and choose with ease and fast all the routs he should or wishes to follow.  

 

Being sure that he won΄t get lost or end up somewhere else than the place he initially chose, the visitor gets familiar to his surroundings faster, which allows him to visit more places and why not extend his stay so as to discover much more than he expected. In few words the perfect guide for a modern tourist!

  Also, equally important is the potentiality of an illustrated map to become a communication platform between the visitor and the permanent inhabitant-professional, resulting in mutual benefits.

  To sum up, we could say that an Illustrated map, beyond his worth as a map to use, it has an artistic value as well. This is appreciated by the visitor and by taking it back to his country or city, this map may become the most vivid picture he could transfer to his family and friends of the place he visited and share memories, emotions and impressions with them.

  Nowadays, the creation of an Illustrated map involves all the difficulties and peculiarities that a designer will come across as it used to do so 300 years ago. Actually, the techniques are almost the same. In order to create it efficiently, the designer must live in the place he is interested in, literally walk

everywhere, on every single street, record everything that he needs to design, capture the idea, philosophy and the esthetics of the place and imprint them in him with certainty and clarity as if he has always lived there. Otherwise, he won΄t be able to design the place accurately on the paper so as to please and inform the reader correctly. He must, within few months, grow the knowledge and aspect of the place to the degree of someone who΄s been living there for at least 10 years.

This procedure alone is a feat and must be completed before the designer draws the first line on the paper that the original map is going to be designed.

  Fortunately though, from the moment that such a map is completed, modern technology steps in to provide the potentiality of reproducing the same map in minimum time, in quantities that can reach millions of pieces and with small cost to the recipients. The recipients are not only the millions of visitors that a modern city of specific interest attracts annually, but millions others from all over the world who buy maps before they travel so as to get a first glance of the destination they have chosen or intend to go to.

Amsterdam illustrated map - Modern uses and applications

The historical center of Amsterdam is visited by millions of people, the majority of which moves and stays within the specific area. All these people need and they will search for an easy and trustful way of navigation and information about services offered. A guide that can minimize the stress of navigation and excite the exploration mood.

Our aim was (and we believe we achieved) to provide an efficient orientation tool for the city of Amsterdam through the unique illustration map we create. Being attractive  and easy to read our maps are the first and best choice for that purpose since they constitutes a priceless guide which facilitates and encourages the visitor to go out and get acquainted with the place and its beauties as well to enjoy any services provided.

Our user friendly illustrated map of Amsterdam not only presents the very characteristic half-cycle structure of the center from an understandable angle of view, but it goes one step further: it visualize in their basic architectural form all the basics and significant elements of the city.

Our map actually “speaks” the human eyes 3dimencional language. Anyone who is able to see OUDE KERK or PALEIS as physical objects, will recognize them instantly on the maps surface. That’s why our illustrated maps constitutes a truly international easy to use navigation tool for any traveler ( from 7 to…77 years old, no matter sex origin or language ) who wish to walk all around the city s famous center almost with the certainty of a local. A tool of art that can unify the city and its services with the visitor, through a unique visual experience.

Our main target group is the pre-mentioned number of tourist-visitors that the beautiful city of Amsterdam attracts annually. We believe that our map will be the obvious choice to the visitors mind, whenever our product will have the chance to stand before his eyes. A secondary target group might be the local residents who love their city and wish to have a fun, colorful illustration of their beloved city as a poster in their homes:

Our Maps have a series of commercial forms as a trading product, some of which we mention below :

PRINTED FORMS

Printed folded map.     Suggested sizes  61 X 86 cm  and  70 X 100 cm.

Tourist guide in the size of a small book that contains the map in pieces per two pages, filled with tourist information such as the location of hotels, restaurants, nightclubs, hospitals, police stations etc.

Historical and Cultural guide in the size of a small book too, containing information on History and Culture, such as museums, monuments, theaters conservatoriums etc.                                                                                                                                      

Posters on thick luxury paper.    Suggested sizes 61 X 86 cm, 70 X 100 cm, 90 X 120 cm and even larger for special use.

Wall Calendars - Book Calendars (Agenda).

Notebooks

Dossiers

Cart Postal in various sizes

Puzzles for all ages (in big pieces)

SPECIAL PRINTINGS

Cups

T-Shirts

Sculptured printings on thick luxury paper with the main themes sculptured on it.

Silked printings on fabric.

Umbrellas.

SPECIAL PRODUCTS

Presentational - Navigational CD-ROM which will give the ability to click on the themes, to watch Interactive Videos of the Monuments (inside and outside) accompanied by a narration.

The Illustrated map of Amsterdam

The illustrated map of Amsterdam TECHNICAL DATA

This map is a classic prospective view of 45 degree angle and it is a handmade full illustration of the wider center of the city.

 It portrays an area of 12 square km – 4 km length x 3 km width, which is the wider center of the city, including the very heart of it, the historic center of Amsterdam.

 It points and portrays as they appear in they basic architectural form , 87 most                   significant  -in our assessment – sightseeing:  56 monuments and 31 museums.

It has a topographical accuracy of 99% (or 1% loss) against any other topographical map!

It has an index of all mentioned features above for an easier detection in the map.

It contains 99% of the names of Streets, Canals, Squares etc.

The creative part of the project was completed during 2007-8. The Amsterdam s map is the fruit of 15 months,  or about  3.750 hours of creative work.

More specific:                                                                                                                                            3 months scouting the field.    That includes walking through the city (all 12 square km)from the biggest avenue to the smallest alley, taking pictures, videos and sketching on the spot of all the significant features of the city.

2 months designing the prospective 3D model of the depicted area`s topographic map, in a handmade prototype size   1m x 1,60m. This is performed only with the use of a pencil and a grid with great emphasis in the topographic accuracy.

2 months designing all the visual information that has been collected during the scouting process,  on the 3D model. This is the part while the map gets its full illustration and it`s been performed also with pencil so as to be possible any correction or addition during the design process.

3 months of applying the inks. During this process and after a cautious evaluation of the previous pencil design we start the inking procedure. It`s been performed handmade with the use of very fine and thin rapidographs of several kind of point diameters. It is a one of the most rafinate and elaborate part of the design process.

3 months of coloring. After the inks are finished, we remove carefully with a soft rubber any remaining trace of pencil and we are ready to start the colors. This is performed handmade with pencil watercolors and it is exactly the point when the map is actually getting alive!

2months of digital rafination and completion. After all the handmade design are finished the prototype is scanned in a tube scanner so as to create a digital form of it and prepare it for print. During this process we restore digitally any error that might escaped our attention in the previous stages of the design and we add all the helpful details that will give to our map its value of use, beyond its value as a piece of Art: the name plates of the streets, squares , park`s canals etc. which are not possible to be included in the handmade design, as well with the markation of all the significant buildings and area`s that our map signifies and promote to the reader.

Haarlem illustrated map

The illustrated map of HAARLEM TECHNICAL DATA

This map is a classic prospective view of 45 degree angle and it is a handmade full illustration of the wider center of the city.

 It portrays an area of  6 square km – 2 km length x 3 km width, which is the wider center of the city, including the very heart of it, the historic center of Haarlem.

 It points and portrays as they appear in they basic architectural form , 32 most  significant  -in our assessment – sightseeing:  16 monuments and 16 museums.

It has a topographical accuracy of 99% (or 1% loss) against any other topographical map!

It has an index of all mentioned features above for an easier detection in the map.

It contains 99% of the names of Streets, Canals, Squares etc.

The creative part of the project was completed during 2009. The Haarlem map is the fruit of 6 months,  or about  1.500 hours of creative work.

More specific:                                                                                                                                          

 1 MONTH  scouting the field.    That includes walking through the city (all 6 square km)from the biggest avenue to the smallest alley, taking pictures, videos and sketching on the spot of all the significant features of the city.

1 MONTH designing the prospective 3D model of the depicted area`s topographic map, in a handmade prototype size   0,80m x 1,10m. This is performed only with the use of a pencil and a grid with great emphasis in the topographic accuracy.

1 MONTH designing all the visual information that has been collected during the scouting process,  on the 3D model. This is the part while the map gets its full illustration and it`s been performed also with pencil so as to be possible any correction or addition during the design process.

1 MONTH of applying the inks. During this process and after a cautious evaluation of the previous pencil design we start the inking procedure. It`s been performed handmade with the use of very fine and thin rapidographs of several kind of point diameters. It is a one of the most rafinate and elaborate part of the design process.

1 MONTH of coloring. After the inks are finished, we remove carefully with a soft rubber any remaining trace of pencil and we are ready to start the colors. This is performed handmade with pencil watercolors and it is exactly the point when the map is actually getting alive!

1 MONTH of digital rafination and completion. After all the handmade design is finished the prototype is scanned in a tube scanner so as to create a digital form of it and prepare it for print. During this process we restore digitally any error that might escaped our attention in the previous stages of the design and we add all the helpful details that will give to our map its value of use, beyond its value as a piece of Art: the name plates of the streets, squares , park`s canals etc. which are not possible to be included in the handmade design, as well with the markation of all the significant buildings and area`s that our map signifies and promote to the reader.

copyrights TerraNaviga Epameinondas kaiafas All means of reproduction with out the written authorisation of the owner is strictly forbidden