Map art styles explained: street maps, illustrated and vintage

Map art comes in several overlapping styles. Street maps emphasise the road network, illustrated maps use drawings to bring places into view, typographic maps make lettering part of the geography, and historic maps show an earlier version of an area. Your choice depends on which features you want to recognise and how you want the picture to feel in the room.

Start with the artwork itself. Labels such as “minimalist”, “vintage” and “modern” leave plenty of room for interpretation. Two prints with the same description can look very different on a wall.

Street-map art: the shape of the neighbourhood

In street-map art, roads form the structure of the image. Depending on the design, you may also see water, open space, railways and place names.

This approach can work well when the layout is what interests you: the bend in the road near your old house, a familiar junction or the pattern of streets around a park. You don't need every building drawn individually for the place to feel recognisable.

Inspect how the map handles detail. Can you follow a familiar street? Do the labels help you understand the area? Does the whole composition appeal to you when you step back?

A useful test is to identify three features you would expect to find, then look for them in the actual artwork. The title alone cannot tell you whether they are included.

Illustrated maps: buildings and landmarks take a turn

An illustrated map may use drawings of buildings, shops, landmarks, people or local details alongside the streets. Its character comes partly from what the artist chooses to include.

For example, Clare Owen and Walk With Me's Notting Hill map is presented as an illustrated view of the area, including Portobello Road. It offers a different way to represent a place from a street network alone.

Look at both the drawing style and the selection of subjects. Someone who loves a particular local building might enjoy seeing it featured. Another person may prefer a broader view of their everyday streets.

Check the artist's actual composition rather than assuming an illustrated map includes every landmark. Distances and building sizes may be treated expressively; the listing should help you understand what you are looking at.

Typographic maps: place names become the picture

Typographic maps use words as a visual ingredient. Sometimes lettering fills an area; sometimes street names trace the routes themselves.

Place in Print's typographic collection, for instance, includes designs in which typed road names take the place of conventional road lines.

This is worth considering when the names carry the connection for you. The road where you lived or a familiar district name can become part of the image's texture.

Check readability at the size you intend to buy. A dense design might be enjoyable to explore close up, while the wider pattern does most of the work across a room. Decide whether you want to read the names, recognise the overall shape or enjoy both.

Historic maps: choose the date as carefully as the place

A historic map adds another choice: which version of the place do you want?

The road network, buildings and place names may differ from what you know today. That can be the reason to choose it, particularly if you are interested in how an area developed.

Francis Frith's map collection offers historic map prints with different years available. When looking at this kind of artwork, check the date and the area shown together.

Also establish whether you are buying a modern reproduction or an original historic sheet. A vintage-looking colour palette, by itself, tells you neither the map's age nor its source.

If recognising your current home is important, make sure it appears on that edition. A map can show the correct neighbourhood from a time before your street existed.

Minimalist and detailed describe the treatment

Minimalism can apply to several map styles. A street map might remove labels and reduce its colours. An illustrated map might use a small number of simple drawings. A historic map might be reproduced with its original dense detail intact.

Consider what simplification keeps and what it takes away. If the important feature is a small side road, check that it survives the design treatment. If you mainly want the sweep of a river or a bold overall shape, you may be happy with less information.

Use this comparison to narrow the choice:

These are starting points rather than fixed categories. A single print can combine several approaches.

Choose the version you want to live with

Imagine the print in its intended spot. Do you want a detailed image you can spend time exploring, or a composition you mainly enjoy from across the room? Both are reasonable choices.

For a gift, consider the recipient's existing pictures as well as their connection to the place. Knowing they love a neighbourhood helps you choose the subject; their taste helps you choose its treatment.

If you are still working out the location and size, our guide to choosing a meaningful map print covers those decisions.

Neighbourhood Prints is developing a contemporary street-map approach in one signature style. You can explore the design collection and see the current launch preview. Other styles described here are alternatives to consider, rather than options we currently offer.