The Seventeen Provinces

[Will Phillips]

I've just about completed my other historical map of the Low Countries (i.e. Benelux) depicting the cities, battles, and sieges of the Dutch Revolt, so now I can start up on the matching companion to it. Where the previous one was focused on cities and battles, this is a higher-level look at the region's various provinces and territories.

Those territories were, for a time in the 1500s, also known as the "Seventeen Provinces" (although which 17 is something of a debate).

This is a two-part series of maps for my history project, Renaissance Netherlands with Will Phillips.

Since it's a series, I'm using the same map base, border, and art direction as the other. The content is what will be primarily different here.

Tonight and last night have been setting up files and then working on the heraldry, which is about done.

Would like your thoughts on the political borders and shading: do I make the Low Countries territories dark or light?

WIP-17P-2020-04Apr-10-A.jpg

WIP-17P-2020-04Apr-10-B.jpg

[rdanhenry]

I think they stand out better in the version where they are dark. That might vary by monitor(/settings), though.

[Will Phillips]

This map isn't coming together quite as fast as I'd hoped, but I want to get it right.

At least I've got the legend and a nice inset map of northwestern Europe (for everyone who asks "wait, where are the Low Countries?").

And yeah - the Brabant error is still there. I've not yet returned to the labels.

WIP-17P-2020-04Apr-19.jpg

[Will Phillips]

Making some fairly significant layout tweaks. I'd welcome your feeback on which you prefer!

I added the inset of Northwest Europe and left a top left corner large inset that was original going to be languages and printing centers, but by c. 1550 printing was so widespread as to be almost ubiquitous at this scale. Since it didn't provide enough value, I pulled it, but leaving the inset as just languages was too bare - but still important.

So I shrunk the dialects map and stacked it with the regional European map to the right, which forces the legend to extend to the full height of the map - and thereby forces the whole of the map itself to the left a fair bit.

I've tinkered with the idea of a trade and economy inset map in the top left (to match an inset in that location in the other sibling map I'm designing), but does that align with the purpose of this map to communicate important information about the Low Countries as a whole?

I don't think it does, so I may just leave it out.

WIP-17P-2020-04Apr-23.jpg

[Bindusara]

Hi
I like this map very much : such a mess of boundaries, that's very interesting seeing what's history makes!

I think you could improve the readability by brightening the seas : it's very dark , the eyes are attracted by this big dark blue spot. The fact that boundaries are very complicated (not your fault of course) stress up this fact : we don't understand at first glance what's happening on the land, the sea is easier to understand so, eyes go there. I think it will be your main challenge for this map : we must stay on the land boundaries.

[Will Phillips]

Thank you - I hadn't considered that before.


Right now I'd specifically like feedback on the layout and number of inset maps.

I'm still undecided which direction to take between my latest mockup and the designs that preceded it.

[Bindusara]

the last version has the pb of this fulle arrea of blue. The one before does not have it : having a map inside the map seems a good idea

[Will Phillips]

Slowly getting there. Have finally settled on what to depict in the inset maps, how to lay them out, and how many to use.

Three maps was overwhelming, and keeping two small maps in the sidebar left a lot of blue dominating the map visually (thanks for pointing that out, Bindusara).

Typos and errors a'plenty.

Need to edit the Historical Context down a bit. Too long right now, but it's a first draft.

WIP-17P-2020-05May-04.jpg

[Bindusara]

we've got a full view of the situation , i like it

[Will Phillips]

Work continues. Natural features placed. Starting to label things.

Going to be another careful exercise in placement to include provincial names, heraldry, and important natural features.

WIP-17P-2020-05May-06.jpg