CNN Underscored partnered with Grafomap to create this content. When you make a purchase, CNN receives revenue. CNN news staff is not involved in the selections or product reviews. For more on what we do and how we do it, visit our About Us page.
Places matter. They get into our bones, weave themselves into the story of our lives, call us back to the times and places and people that define us. We all have them. The cities and neighborhoods, the country roads and hidden vistas, the places we cherish forever. First kisses. The block where you came into your own. The trip when you finally knew, yes, they’re really the one. Our places are a part of us.
But unlike photographs of friends and family, a place can be harder to capture, and its importance to us can be difficult to put into words.
Enter Grafomap, an astonishingly simple, easy-to-use service that distills the places that are meaningful to us into a gorgeous map and statement art piece. With Grafomap, the world is yours, literally. Using the highly customizable editor, you can create an attractive, beautifully designed custom map or poster in the time it takes you to finish a cup of coffee. No joke.
And with the holiday season around the corner — when the places that shaped us are on all of our minds — these meticulously crafted memories in map form make for powerful gifts. Not only do they look amazing, they’re meaningful, too.
On the editor page, just type in an address. From there, it’s extraordinarily intuitive: Drag, pan, zoom in, zoom out and otherwise customize the scope of what you want to capture, from continent to street corner.
Then, choose your map theme. Each one utilizes a different design language, font, color scheme and style to create a unique aesthetic, from the clean blacks and whites of bestseller “minimal” to the bold reds and greens of “wheatpaste” to the rich blacks of “carbon” and beyond. Toggling through the themes gives you a digital mock-up of your final piece, which is extraordinarily handy when you’re trying to decide between “blue” and “blueprint.”
You can add text, too. The labels default to location names and coordinates, but edit away to personalize your text. The title, subtitle and tagline are all up to you. After all, the right words can make a good gift, great. “Home is where the heart is” is a classic, but feel free to go nuts.
Finally, choose a finish. This includes the size — 18 by 24 inches or 24 by 36 inches —as well as material and framing options. Paper, at $49, is the cheapest, but T-shirts, canvas and even metal are options. We’re big fans of the clean, classic framed option (starting at $104), which has been a Grafomap staple for years. But the recently released hanger option (starting at $69) has caught our eye, thanks to its trendy look and affordable price.
No matter what you choose, we’re confident these maps will make excellent holiday gifts. The phrase “one of a kind” gets thrown around a lot, but the cool thing is, these really are one of a kind. Not everyone knows the place that means the most to your spouse, family member or friend, but you do. So why not put that knowledge to good use and make a great gift with Grafomap? And right now, if you purchase two maps you’ll get one free with the code “DEAL” at checkout. The offer applies to any paper finished maps, so you can stock up on the perfect, sentimental gift for less this season.