Yasmin Ali

Reviews / Mapping / Travel

Italian designer Emanuele Pizzolorusso for Palomar has come up with an innovative new map product that displays fresh 'out-of-the-box' thinking.  Trademarked as 'Crumpled City Maps' - the range  refreshingly does, well, exactly-what-it-says-on-the-tin, so to speak.

The maps are printed on a special textile which is weatherproof, smudgeproof and light. As a designer,  I'm also a fan of the clear, simple iconography and clean graphic design employed in the overall look of the product. Too often maps become overcrowded and muddled with over-designed typography and complicating coding - this map is the antidote to unneccessary complexity. It won't replace an OS map for a field expedition, but it serves its purpose well as an informative, accessible and durable travel map that rips up the rulebook on conventional -tearable- street maps.

Read on for product specifications, and cities available in the range.

No more fussy fold-out street guides earmarking you as a lost tourist - this innovative product actually recommends you scrunch it up in your pocket to have it to hand whilst on the move.

The maps come with the following guide:
Crumple it before use!;
The map includes all the most important information about the city as well as a list  “SoulSights”;
It just takes 2 seconds to open and close this innovative soft map;
Weighing only 20 grams, it is super resistant and 100% waterproof.

Product specifications:

• Map Size: 87x58 cm
• Available versions: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Hamburg, Lisbon, London, Milan, New York, Paris, Rome, Sydney, Tokyo
• Edinburgh to be added to the range.
• RRP £10/12 euros per map, available from£6.99 at Amazon UK

// With Thanks to Palomar PR

I've been sent a boxset of five cities to try out, and will be roadtesting the Barcelona edition on my travels next week...