“Accent the point of a story”
“Accent the point of a story”
TIME capsule vol. 5: Bob Chapin and the making of modern cartographic storytelling.
Welcome to Chartography: insights and delights from the world of data storytelling.
Last year, we took a look at information-graphic ads in the first issues of TIME magazine. Your enthusiasm for this work propelled us to see more, tracking these ads all the way through 1941. See past issues from this series:
Vol. 1: 1920s ads
Vol. 2: 1930s ad-maps
Vol. 3: 1930s ad-charts
Vol. 4: 1930s ad-diagrams
In the late 1930s, TIME magazine caught up to its advertisers and developed magnificent maps and charts to accompany their own stories. Today, we present a capstone look at this pre-Pearl Harbor period with favorite early selections from TIME’s chief cartographer, Bob Chapin.
Note: Maps and charts are presented cropped from their original accompanying text. They are in chronological order with a parallel narrative describing Chapin’s career and craft.
Amateur Cartographer
Robert M. Chapin Jr. was a poor speller, a flaw he would jokingly attribute to a fifth-grade broken arm which prevented him from keeping up with his schoolwork. Chapin’s priority of image over word went on to define modern cartographic storytelling.
Chapin originally studied to become an architect, but graduated (UPenn ‘33) to find that the building business had crashed from the Great Depression. After two years designing small houses, Bauhaus-inspired furniture, and running errands for MoMA, he pivoted to a career in magazines. He started as a photo retoucher for Newsweek. There, Chapin volunteered to draw a map of the Nile, even though he never drew a map before.
Chapin’s self-taught craft caught fire and he was recruited to TIME magazine’s Chrysler Building offices in 1937. Chapin grew his one-man operation. His first assistant was his wife, Polly Sell Chapin, a fabric designer-turned-cartographer. They expanded to a team of six including artist-cartographers, draftsmen, and research-geographers. Together, they were responsible for each issue’s “TIME Maps” and “TIME Charts.”
Chapin put his architect talent of helping people visualize a plan to increase reader understanding of history in the making. His approach was described as having “the spirit of a constructive and imaginative teacher.” At age 38, Chapin was described as “slim, relaxed, almost boyish” with an easy manner. He flew every chance he got to study the earth’s topography like a map.
Process
Chapin’s pride was in producing self-sufficient graphics that could be understood without reading the story. “I try to dramatize the news of the week, not just produce a reference map like those in an atlas.” His craft was described in a TIME magazine publisher’s letter:
the big problem for Cartographer R. M. Chapin Jr. and his staff was to get it all on a two-page map and still make it clearly readable. The rather large aim was to differentiate among [elements] . . . For the U.S. editions, the map was printed in eight colors—yellow, magenta, green, grey, gold, pink, blue and black. To get sharper differentiation between the lines and patterns, it was printed as if it were a piece of fine art—by sheet-fed offset on heavy paper—and then was bound with the rest of the magazine, which came off rotary letter presses.
Chapin’s maps are distinguished by several techniques. Their rich dimensionality flowed from the nozzle of his trademark air-brush. But his design’s final illustration was only possible because of careful planning.
TIME magazine’s weekly cadence required “high-speed cartography.” Chapin and his small team had three full working days to produce maps for each edition. Their work began at a Thursday story conference, from which four or five maps would be planned. Two or three of these would make it into the issue, and were finished by 3:30 Sunday.
Chapin’s process was grounded in careful research and informed guesswork. He created a bank of pre-produced geographies that might erupt into headlines. Then, he could add overlays of text, arrows, and other symbols to the map for a specific story—a flexible and layered production method he pioneered.
During WW2, after studying a Pacific map to determine where the next battle might occur, Chapin concluded that the only possibility was the Solomon Islands. When U.S. Marines invaded Guadalcanal, TIME’s map was ready to go to press.
Chapin also implemented the use of a library of celluloid stenciled symbols, which reduced the hours needed to redraw icons every week. In many cases, he produced the very first maps of different industrial and political phenomena.
Chapin’s basemaps were created using a glass-top projection table nicknamed “Lacey-Luci.” The device allowed him to control scale and focus. He could also use it to project directly from a globe to help make perspective maps. He employed two large floating globes, one political and one physical. They were rigged from the ceiling so that they could be photographed for reference from any angle.
Success
Chapin’s innovative approach to map-making not only changed how information was presented in TIME magazine but also influenced public understanding during pivotal moments in history. His information graphics explained WW2 to America every week.
His legacy transcends his tenure at TIME, laying the groundwork for the modern fusion of data visualization and storytelling that continues to enlighten and engage audiences worldwide.
Chapin served TIME for thirty-five years, from Mussolini’s invasion of Ethiopia to the abortive Apollo 13 mission. His work was reproduced by foreign governments, the U.S. State Department, Air Force, Army, Navy, numerous universities, and publishers of textbooks and encyclopedias. Chapin’s maps were also the first ever broadcast by television.
NASA’s Director of Flight Operations found the cover diagram of Chapin’s Gemini rendezvous so exact that he asked TIME for copies of the original work.
This special look at Bob Chapin was made possible by referencing TIME magazine publisher letters and archive materials provided to us by Grace Wagner from The New-York Historical Society. All images were found using the TIME magazine vault.
We hope you enjoyed our exploration of early TIME magazine information graphics. I will be back soon with more insights and delights from the world of data storytelling. Until then.
Onward!—RJ
About
Data storyteller RJ Andrews helps organizations solve high-stakes problems by using visual metaphors and information graphics: charts, diagrams, and maps. His passion is studying the history of information graphics to discover design insights. See more at infoWeTrust.com.
RJ’s recently published series, Information Graphic Visionaries, a new book series celebrating three spectacular data visualization creators. With new writing, complete visual catalogs, and discoveries never seen by the public. His first book Info We Trust, How to Inspire the World with Data—will be published in a remastered edition in 2024.
Guest contributor Byron Raco is an avid bibliophile and curious mind. He journeyed through investment banking, strategy and CFO roles before settling into a life of investing and exploring the world while enjoying the printed page.