Yesterday I spent hours in the V&A which was brilliant.  I don’t normally get a map and tend to wander aimlessly until my feet ache.  Yesterday was a bit different, not the feet aching part however. I picked up a few V&A and me maps.  They are awesome.  V&A and me are a series of deliciously folded maps, which are a work of art in themselves, which are part of the London Design Festival 2010. They show the favourite V&A spaces and objects of celebrities in the world of art.  The collection of unique maps have been designed by the graphic designer Michael Johnson.  ( you can find more about the maps and how they were created on the Johnson banks thought of the week – the images are cool) Not only do they look good, but they open up areas of the V&A that you don’t necessarily think about.  By following in the footsteps of your chosen personality map and taking in their favourite objects, places and aspects of the museum, you find so much more.  For example, I picked up the Paul Smith map, The Cameron Mackintosh map and Sir Mark Jones the Museum director map (my personal favourite of all the maps).  One of his favourites is a fire escape in the ceramics gallery. A place you wouldn’t normally think to look at.  But it is a fantastic design for something so mundane.  Through looking at these maps, I stumbled across all sorts, galleries I had never made it to before, particularly the ceramics gallery, which is far from the throng of people on the lower floors and we pretty much had the entire gallery to ourselves and it was wonderful. I liked it. I liked it a lot.

The concept of highlight maps or themed maps are particularly new.  But due to the outstanding design of these maps, I felt I was getting something special.  Perhaps I am fickle to pretty shapes, and it’s the content that makes it what it is, but I had a brilliant time yesterday and I’m holding the V&A and me maps partially responsible.