Cartographies of emergency. Geographies and languages of contemporary crises

The article explores the interconnection between graphic design and cartography, with a specific focus on maps created in emergency contexts. The analysis deals with case studies at the intersection of information design, cartographic implementations and contemporary crises considered as relevant application scenarios. By reflecting on how platforms, technologies and visual languages shape not only the representational possibilities of maps but also the construction of meaning and the way they are understood and interpreted, the study highlights the blurring or overlapping of roles between designer and user, in an articulation of similarities and divergences that lead to multiplications and, at times, shattering of identity. To this end, a selection of exemplary visualisations was identified according to a list of specific design objectives: information, dissemination, preparation, investigation, participation, reaction and activism. The selected maps are analysed through a methodological framework that integrates theoretical models of visualisation, reflections on modes of user interaction and approaches borrowed from critical cartography. The final objective is to clarify the impact of the implemented textual and visual choices on the understanding of the described phenomena.