Image via Matt From London

What makes hand-drawn maps so cool? A recent article in Slate talks about them not in terms of quirkiness or beauty, but efficiency:

The crucial advantage of the handmade map is that it is designed for a particular person confronting a particular task… the minimal amount of information makes for a map that’s easier to use than one that’s cluttered with detail.

The Slate piece features plenty of interesting maps that were submitted by readers, and there are a few others in an earlier article that’s part of a larger series about signs. If you want to dive deeper into the subject, check out the online archives of the Hand Drawn Map Association (HDMA). Unsurprisingly, there’s also a lot of great stuff on Flickr.