The ‘Seventies’ Revisited

Here is a link to a comparison between two prototype 1970’s-themed basemaps

I started the first of these maps as a bit of fun a couple of years ago, following-on from my Sixties-inspired ‘Pop Art’  basemap. It is a ‘1970’s’- inspired design, right down to ornate fonts and a burnt-orange/avocado green palette. I remember the ‘70’s palette well (I was in my late teens when it first appeared). I never quite got the avocado aspect, but I still have a sneaking regard for burnt-orange!

But then I started thinking… At least in the UK (where I was at the time) that style was ‘early 1970’s’. By the end of the decade a ‘punk’ aesthetic was beginning to take over – much more anarchic and brutalist. So, this comparison includes a ‘Late 1970’s’-themed basemap as a contrast.

I’m using them to reinforce a point that we’ve been trying to push in presentations over the last few years – that there is no need for you to just accept the basemaps that we supply to you. Using the Vector Tile Style Editor you can ‘tweak’ them to get a perfect fit for your content or, if you have the time and the inclination, you can take on a complete redesign. The only constraints are the scale limitations we set in the Vector Tile Package, the fonts we make available, and your imagination.

So, when you make the comparison between these two designs, notice that they come from the same source. I’ve adjusted some of the scale thresholds, but otherwise the content of these two very different map styles is the same.

Links

Here is the Early 1970’s layer

Here is the Late 1970’s layer

The basemaps are creative prototypes, so I may make adjustments to their styles. You are free to use them as they are, or as a starting point for your own designs. I’m not planning to take them offline any time soon, but if that concerns you, make a copy to your own account via the VTSE (The content will continue to update on a regular basis, but any future style changes I make will not carry over).