Bonjour mes amis! I took seven years of French and can say slightly more than this.

The French use the term "L'Hexagonne" as a pet name for their European homeland. I'm not exactly sure who coined this phrase, but Le Courbousier, a famous French designer/artist, once made a sketchy drawing of France as a Hexagon, so maybe it was him. I haven't found another attempt to squeeze the regions, major cities and railroads into a cohesive hexigonal map, so we thought it might be a fun thing to try.

Thanks very much to Xhulio Binjaku for the idea and David Hennessy for helping bring this to life. I think it looks great!

8"x8" Letterpress Print

Copyright 2021 Archie's Press.

ABOUT THE IDEA

Information is more fun to read when it's beautiful. I've designed these charts and maps with hours of research, reassembling data into a brain-friendly aesthetic. I edit the information significantly, avoiding the "dazzle" effect which occurs when our eyes are battered with too much information. Letterpress makes it even more gorgeous.

ABOUT LETTERPRESS PRINTING

Letterpress is a very complicated and expensive printing method that I am obsessed with. All letterpress prints are slammed with 600 pounds of pressure, creating a deep, tactile texture. The ink gets embedded into the thick soft paper so it won't fade within your lifetime. Read more about letterpress printing here.

FRAMING

Your local frame shop is going to do a better job than anyone else. There's a reason this craft endures and cannot be automated: It's skilled work that is best done face-to-face in physical space.

See more framing ideas here.