The move to more realistic map design by the NPS has been gradual and unplanned. Using graphical software applications that allow sophisticated designs to be routinely produced that were previously only imagined, the NPS has found itself inextricably drawn toward using greater realism. Cartography is not alone in this trend. Realism has become ubiquitous in almost every graphical medium today from television to print publishing to multimedia. For example, the graphical user interface (GUI) of Mac OS X, the virtual environment in which I am now immersed, uses soft drop shadows, transparency, pulsing 3D buttons, and a soothing “aqua” desktop to hide its complex Unix underpinnings from the casual computer user (me). The enhanced realism of NPS maps has a similar aim—sparing the park visitor from the off-putting technical aspects of conventional cartography with a map user interface (MUI) that is more user-friendly and that simultaneously delivers relevant and accurate information.

Getting Real: Reflecting on the New Look of National Park Service Maps (via Anil Dash).