New Park Map Design? | Page 4 | Inside Universal Forums

New Park Map Design?

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Ok, pet peeve about Universal Park maps that I have kept silent about for YEARS. Almost all of the ride logos on their park maps are bitmapped crap-res. The logos should be vector based and clean as a whistle, meaning the file should go to print as an Adobe Illustrator document with a bitmapped background and vector logo graphics on the layer above. Just look at the fuzzy transformers logo... dreadful. Both IOA and US have this issue.

I believe the Toon Lagoon logo is one of the few that are vector printed... clean and sharp.

You are not alone on this. As a graphic designer, this pains me.
 
The Universal park maps have always been horrid Frankenstein messes comprised of spare parts from all the previous maps before it. There are so many different fonts, styles, colors. New meal deal? Add a box! Weather alert? Add a box! Character meet and greet? Add a box!

Instead of designing a new map from the ground up, they just keep pasting things on top of other things. It's a visual mess. The graphic designer should be fired.
 
The original park map to USF contained this passage, which really is quite amazing and magical.

Dear Guest,

Welcome to the largest film and television studio outside of Hollywood - over $600,000,000 and 444 acres of motion pictures magic.

Here you take a journey like none other. Into the most advanced, state-of-the-art production facilities and soundstages in the industry. Into the fantasies of the most imaginative creators in film and TV history. Right into the heart of one of the busiest studios on earth.

Here you don't just watch the movies. You live them. Every thrilling, heart-warming, spine-tingling minute of them -- right along-side the biggest stars of all time.

But the real star is you. This is your day to shine, to soar, to make movie magic and motion picture history.

This guide is your script. Play it any way you like. And experience a day like none you can remember at a place you'll never forget.
 
So I just grabbed a Uni brochure from a rest area along the Turnpike, on my way to Miami, and it's WAY outdated. The map and info list Despicable Me as the new ride, and not even a mention or depiction of Transformers or Springfield... :look:
 
I have a feeling the maps will be updated to include Springfield today...anyone there today, be sure to grab a map and let us know!
 
If they don't update the map to include Springfield I'll be somewhat annoyed, considering how little effort they evidently put into changing the maps (like others have said, it is basically a patchwork quilt of tiny pieces, added on one at a time with minimal consistency from one spot to the next and with almost no changes to the rest of the map when something is changed/added in)
 
While it's not on the map yet, they are advertising it in the new Times & Information brochures.

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Well, at least they're doing something, plus I think someone said something about them updating the maps by the 11th or 12th (sorry, I forgot who it was that said it)...