Do people ever look at a map, and are drawn to the empty space? If they are drawn to these spaces, how do they perceive them? Do they seek out these empty spaces? From the points of views of cartographers or authors, empty spaces are the places left on a map meant to depict a specific, uncharted location. Empty spaces would mean nothing without a hint of collaboration from the viewers’ imagination. These spaces leave a way for the viewer to feel comfortable with using their imagination. These empty spaces leave spots for the person to make something out of nothing. People look at places differently. Cartographers may decide to fill their maps if they have a “fear of empty spaces.” In these works, cartographers would fill every available area on the map with illustrations, patterns, annotations, or decorative elements. Cartographers have always sorted maps so beautifully in a way that makes a map eye-catching. With a first look at the map “planiglobii terrestris” which was created by Johann Baptiste Honan (printed in Muhlenberg, 1720), the map looks like a piece of art but it can still be useful. Turchi said “a map may be beautiful but if it doesn’t tell what we want to know…, it is just merely decoration.” When maps are given to different people it will generate a vast number of different responses. This may or not be as a result of the map having empty spaces.

Maps interact with individuals differently, telling a different story to  each person. Every map has its own purpose, be it navigation, defining boundaries, typography, and so forth. Like Turchi said a map should tell a story. Each map tells a story, and the story a person pulls from a map may or may not resonate with them. Each story may not be of relevance or have acclaim, but that does not deem it worthless. At first glance, a story may not be obvious to the viewer of the map, but as a map it is still worth keeping.