Blind maps and blue dots. The blurring of the producer-user divide in the production of visual information

Note from the editor:

The shift towards digital modes of production has fundamentally changed both cartography and graphic design. The omni-present computer, the interactive possibilities of digital media and the direct exchange of visual information through networks have blurred the distinction between designers and users of visual information.

« Blind maps and blue dots » is the first work to explore the disappearing boundaries between producers and users of maps. Using three mapmaking practices as examples – the Blue Dot, the location function in Google Maps; the Strava Global Heatmap, a world map showing the activities of a fitness app; and the “Situation in Syria” maps, a regularly updated map of the Syrian conflict made by an Amsterdam teenager – renowned designer Joost Grootens shows the blurring of the binary distinction between producing and using, ultimately offering a whole new approach to graphic design.