Jan D. BLÁHA

Assessment of cartographic works from the point of view of their aesthetics and user-friendliness

Bláha, J. D.: Assessment of cartographic works from the point of view of their aesthetics and user-friendliness. Kartografické listy, 2005, 13, 2 figs., 11 refs.

Abstract: Our modern society seems to be less and less able to overcome the one-sidedness arising from the man’s focus on purpose and specialisation. Creators – cartographers in general repeatedly neglect values that may be among the vital needs of the users and cartography is no exception. Cartographic products often loose their responsiveness to user, i.e. human needs, and their overall human dimension. This user-friendliness of cartographic products is influenced to a great extent by aesthetics, which despite their supporting function within the work are a factor contributing to the motivation of human behaviour. Aesthetics are frequently reduced to person’s taste, evaluation of phenomena from the point of view of their beauty or unattractiveness – whether they evoke pleasure or displeasure in people. Could lack of knowledge of aesthetics and their methods be the reason behind perceiving aesthetics as a vague subjective discipline? This thesis aims to point out the role of aesthetic function of products in connection with their users, as well as their creators, i.e. cartographers. It searches for the connection between aesthetics and cartography as two scientific disciplines, analyses aesthetic evaluation as an independent process, attempts to explain the difference between user-friendliness and aesthetic ideal, and suggests paths for evaluation applying findings of aesthetics in practice. Furthermore, the author strives to point out versatile and vast possibilities of the man’s relationship to the world and open a debate on education of the so-called cartographic taste.

Keywords: assessment of cartographic works, aesthetics, function of cartographic works, cartographic errors, user-friendliness, relationship between the work and its user, cartographic education