I’ve noticed that both Iceland and the Isle of Man have striking similarities when it comes to their belief in mystical land protectors and fairies.  I find it fascinating, and with the barrier between the spiritual and physical world thinning at this time of year, I believe now is the

I hand-draw my maps. Every line, every tree, every beast—every single thing you see is hand-drawn. Even the typeface used on my maps is homemade and unique to Royale Maps.  And because everything is handmade, nothing is obvious or programmed; a creative decision is made for every item I place

Northern Lights Explained: Short and Sweet   The sun emits solar particles into space. Earth receives these particles, and they react with our atmosphere. This reaction between the solar particles and our atmosphere produces the beautiful colors in the sky that we call Aurora. For those who prefer a more

No one knew better than Plato how to invent a ‘noble lie’. Benjamin Jowett, M.A Tweet Atlantis: The Most Elusive Island in History Randomly place your finger on a map, and chances are I could find you an interpretation of Plato’s Dialogues asserting that Atlantis is precisely where your finger

Why is designing the Map of California so laborious? Marketing-wise, it’s a good one: plenty of visitors, inhabitants, dreamers… potential buyers. When in doubt, a friend I recently met advised me to simply ask myself this: “does it feel right, or does it feel off?” Relying on feeling instead of

It’s been too long. Side projects have veered me away from cartography and it’s time I injected some love back into Royale Maps. Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful for the opportunities I have been given to work on a piece of Manx cultural heritage that will long outlast

Among the things that inspired us to create Royale Maps was the Carta Marina.  But what is the Carta Marina? The Carta Marina is a map of Scandinavia. It was made in Rome by a man named Olaus Magnus. The Swedish Olaus Magnus was a Catholic ecclesiastic and a writer