This item is a Canada highway map that was produced by the Canadian Travel Bureau and sold during the 1970s. The item was purchased at an estate sale in Oregon in 2024. The map provides a layout of all of Canada's highways, as well as some parts of the northern United States. This map is important because it is a demonstration of the design trends of the time, which is definitely gathered from the simple shape, bold colored image on the front of the map. This design style was very popular during the 1970s, and was inspired by the jazz and disco movements of the time. The symbols and graphic choices made to communicate ideas also are an important preservation as some of these symbols have become obsolete today, such as the different ways a road was drawn on the map to demonstrate various conditions. This map, like many others, was a record of roads, city boundaries, and tourist destinations rather than geographical features.
Finally, this map also is a demonstration of how people used to travel before the intervention of modern day technologies and represents a demand for a type of print work that has become a lot less common today. In addition to providing directions, these maps also helped point tourists to areas they might want to visit, rendering the document as a form of advertisement.
Sources:
Taggart, Emma. "Groovy Graphic Design Trends from the 1970s." Linearity, https://www.linearity.io/blog/70s-design-trends/. 1 May 2024.
“Guide to Historical Maps in the Special Collections and Archives Research Center.” Oregon State University. https://guides.library.oregonstate.edu/guidetomapsinSCARC/highwayroadstreet. 1 May 2024.
"Road Maps as History." Osher Map Library. http://oml01.doit.usm.maine.edu/exhibitions/road-maps-american-way/vii-road-maps-history. 1 May 2024.
Cory Molnar. Please do not post on Instagram.
