We recently ran across this fascinating study on how our eyes read maps on the blog for  EYE Magazine. It compares regular octolinearity to new all-curves map models and how our eyes read and decipher information along the lines of a map.

An all-curves map smoothes away the awkward kinks, revealing the underlying structure of the network (above). In usability tests, this version is 30 per cent faster for planning than the official current map.

Click here for the full article and some beautiful map imagery to illustrate their point.