Our maps on handcrafted desktop globes

Those of you who have been with us since the dawn of time might remember October 2022, when we were on our way to France to visit our map exhibited in Lyon. Back then we mentioned something about visiting "some future partners along our route, that hopefully will be super beneficial for our small business".

One of these meetings indeed proved to be beneficial for our business. It took two years to complete the project, but we are happy to say that we are the first ones ever to sell globes that show all river basins on Earth.

I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that seeing one's work on a globe is every mapmaker's dream. Ever since Robert finished the global river basin maps back in 2018, he too started playing with this thought. After looking into potential partners he reached out to Columbus Globes, the oldest and most respected globe manufacturer in the world. They were not only open to the idea, but as Niklas Oestergaard (COO at Columbus, the founder's great-great grandson) said a few days ago, they believed that this collaboration was a perfect match. We cannot agree more!

Creating a product so different than anything we've worked on before came with many unexpected challenges. At some point Robert had to recreate the global maps from scratch, and we needed help in graphic design, product photography and in many other areas. Fine tuning every small detail on the globes with the active participation from the lovely people at Columbus took hundreds of hours of work. However, seeing the final products we can't be more satisfied.

How are the globes made?

First, our maps are printed in an astonishingly high resolution of 1400 DPI on special paper that makes the colours pop. The printed maps are then cut into 12 segments and hand-applied on the acrylic sphere by trained artisans. For a finishing touch they apply a clear coat of high gloss, lending the globe its radiant sheen. The base and the meridian are made from satin brushed stainless steel; simple and elegant at the same time.

When we visited Columbus back in 2022, we were impressed by the effectiveness and precision of the globemakers. We experienced a professional, yet friendly atmosphere whichever room or hall we stepped in. We really felt we found what we'd been looking for.

From all globemakers we chose Columbus because of their high-quality products and their great variety of globes and materials - an opportunity to grow this collaboration and product range in the future. These last two years give us hope that this will be a long and fruitful collaboration with many new and exciting things to come.