Project documentation for personal map assignment
The brief for this assignment was to prepare a personal map, that showed a series of events over time, and could be understood quickly. In addition, I chose an additional constraint, not to include any text.
For my personal map, I prepared an overview map of my genetic history. A genetic history maps the route that my ancestors took ever since humanity left Africa. My primary source is a genetic survey that I participated in a couple of years ago - however this only goes up until about 10,000 years ago, so in order to really personalize it I had to fill in the final stages.
Key design elements are:
1) Top left - a DNA spiral to show that that is a genetic history
2) Bottom left - a legend showing the timescale, with a diagram of the earth going around the sun to show that the scale is years
3) Most of the information is on a map of the world, on which arrows show the migration route
4) The arrows showing the migration route are color-coded, in accordance to the timescale legend
I wanted to make this a personal map, so I did a few things: first, I went for a rough, hand-drawn style and muted tones: this is a handmade object; second, I updated the migration route to include my great-grandparent's trip across the Atlantic; and third, I added little vignettes with stick figures to mark specific milestones on the journey.
The source map looked like this:
One of the things that has always moved me about this analysis is that each of the haplogroups (M343, M173, etc) actually represents an individual, and all his descendants (for males, the genetic survey tracks Y chromosome DNA). I would have really like to highlight this somehow, perhaps by showing reconstructed faces on the map.
In sum, I made quite a few changes to original map.
1) Changed the world map to center the Atlantic Ocean
2) Added the migration route of my great-grandparents across the Atlantic to Puerto Rico
3) Removed all the detailed references to haplogroups and other technical stuff
4) Added graphic representations of key events
5) In the key events, made sure to add increasing numbers of people
6) Added the legend
7) Drew it by hand
8) Used a muted color scheme
I think the map succeeded in its purpose - its overall meaning was deduced in a matter of seconds by most people (genetic map), and with very little additional scrutiny, it was quickly identified as my own individual genetic history.
I don't think it transmits a sense of individuality of the ancestors, or much of a sense of shared ancestry with others - subjects that I would want to pursue further in the future.