How to Choose a World Map Poster for Your Room
With twenty world maps to choose from, the hard part is not liking one - it is deciding which one belongs on your wall. Work through these five questions and the choice usually makes itself.
1. Start with the wall: size
We print every map in two sizes. 70x50 cm (27.6 x 19.7 in) suits a desk, a hallway, a shelf wall or a gallery wall with other pictures. 100x70 cm (39.4 x 27.6 in) is large enough to carry a sofa wall or the head of a bed on its own.
A common interior-design rule of thumb is that art above a piece of furniture should fill roughly two thirds of its width, and that the centre of the picture should hang about 145-150 cm (57-59 in) from the floor. Measure the wall, tape a paper rectangle of the print size to it, and live with it for a day.
2. Pick a look: Minimal or Spectrum
Our maps come in two libraries. Minimal maps draw the world with one dataset in one colour - calm, graphic and easy to match with almost any interior. Spectrum maps layer several datasets in full colour - richer and warmer, made to be looked at up close.
3. Pick a subject you care about
A map hangs better when it means something to you. Love travel? Look at aviation. Spend time at sea or by water? Try ocean and water. Care about the planet? Browse nature and environment. Fascinated by the systems behind modern life? See energy and infrastructure. Every map has a story behind it in our Map Stories.
4. Choose title size and colour
On the product page you can choose the title size (large or small) and, for most maps, one of several colourways - from quiet monochrome to rich full colour. If you want something else, we can make a custom colour combination for an extra fee; email us with the map and colours you have in mind.
5. Decide how to hang it
Prints ship unframed and rolled. A wooden frame gives a finished, permanent look; a magnetic hanger is lighter and lets you swap maps. We compare the options in how to frame a map poster.
The short version
Pick the size your wall can carry, the look that matches your room, and the subject that makes you curious. Everything is printed to order on 200 gsm museum-quality paper and ships free to Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia and more. Start with our most popular prints.