Atlas of the New Dutch Water Defence Line

Joost Gootens is dedicated to creating maps that help users understand a place on a social, cultural, and political level, as well as a physical one. In the publications shown here, Grootens borrowed from the rules and conventions of traditional atlases, but added new information such as graphs, statistics, and photographs that go beyond conventional modes of representation to redefine standard atlas typologies. By playing with color schemes, signs and symbols, and indexes, he aimed to create atlases that are accessible on a range of levels. In his design for the Metropolitan World Atlas, Grootens included crime statistics and air pollution levels to provide a richer illustration of the cities represented in the atlas.