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Show us ya map of Tasmania!

By AndrewBoyd • Mar 17th, 2008 • Category: Australian Odd, Recent posts

Sometimes, I am not sure that we “North Island” people are fair to the Tasmanians. We joke about inbreeding and closer-than-legal family relationships.
There is a tendency for people to drop Tassie off the map because it spoils the neat rectangular shape of Australia. Case in point, the Aussie Bloggers Forum logo:

aussiebloggersforum.png

I can understand - when a thing doesn’t quite fit, there is a basic human instinct to chop it out, leave it off, get rid of it, hide it away.

That said… I am not sure how the people of the “South Island” feel about it. I do know how I feel when Canberra is left off the map - it is not a good feeling.
So - should we propose a new standard? That a logo is not representative of all Australians unless it includes Tassie? :)

Some logos that do include Tasmania are:

AndrewBoyd is a consultant by day and blogger by night. He loves good food, good wine, and discussing faceted classification schemes with friends.
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28 Responses »

  1. Lee (5 comments.) on March 17th, 2008 at 6:43 pm:

    I’ve got to say that I have no real ties to Tasmania but I do think it weird that we so often drop it off the visual representations of Aussieland. So yes maybe it should be a standard especially when you consider the logos that you’ve used as examples.

  2. AndrewBoyd on March 17th, 2008 at 7:01 pm:

    Hi Lee,

    thank you for your comment :)

    I agree - I think that where it is easy to make everyone feel included we should try and do so.

    Thanks, Andrew

  3. Kelley (10 comments.) on March 17th, 2008 at 7:58 pm:

    Really what is the big deal? Half the population is carrying around a map of the place anyway…

    (c’mon you were asking for it)

  4. Lee (5 comments.) on March 17th, 2008 at 8:26 pm:

    Oh dear :)

  5. AndrewBoyd on March 17th, 2008 at 8:48 pm:

    Hi Kelley,

    thanks for that, the thought will keep me warm tonight :)

    (Well, my love will keep me warm tonight, but I really do appreciate the thought).

    This is going to end up like one of Swollen Pickles’ camel toe posts, I can just tell :)

    Best regards, Andrew

  6. AndrewBoyd on March 17th, 2008 at 8:48 pm:

    Lee,

    how can we help but love her? :)

    Cheers, Andrew

  7. Gemisht (4 comments.) on March 17th, 2008 at 9:00 pm:

    I have no ties, emotional, family or otherwise to Tasmania but I imagine that they would be upset by being “dropped off” all the time. I would be if the east coast moved west and Sydney disappeared. And Kelley its possible that half of the half don’t have the map with them anymore!!!!

  8. Kelley (10 comments.) on March 17th, 2008 at 9:08 pm:

    Well, in those immortal words…
    You started it!

    Bwaaaa haaaa haaaaaa

  9. AndrewBoyd on March 18th, 2008 at 6:18 am:

    Hi Gemisht,

    thank you for your comment.

    The half the half that don’t - they are the ones that have moved to Brazil? :)

    Cheers, Andrew

  10. AndrewBoyd on March 18th, 2008 at 6:18 am:

    Hi Kel,

    I did :)

    Best regards, Andrew

  11. Lightening (19 comments.) on March 18th, 2008 at 1:44 pm:

    I dunno. I kind of like Australia without the little add-on bit. ;) Not that I have anything against Tasmanians or anything. It’s just that….well….did they have to go and make things so awkward for everyone by wanting a bit of distance from the mainland. Kangaroo Island NEVER makes it onto these kind of maps and do you hear them complaining? :D

  12. AndrewBoyd on March 18th, 2008 at 1:47 pm:

    Hi Lightening,

    thank you for your comment :)

    To be fair, Kangaroo Island (while no doubt a lovely place) is not really a state. :)

    Best regards, Andrew

  13. Lightening (19 comments.) on March 18th, 2008 at 2:59 pm:

    LOL. I knew you’d say that. And honestly I do agree that we’re a little unfair to our fellow Tasmanian Australians by leaving them off simply for our own convenience.

  14. AndrewBoyd on March 18th, 2008 at 3:05 pm:

    Hi Lightening,

    I think that it goes beyond convenience - Australia fits into this nice neat rectangle without the “South Island”, so it is aesthetically tempting to leave Tasmania off the map.

    That said, the pleasing is not always the correct - without being anal about it, we probably do need to think about embracing the whole of Australia and going for a squarer look to all logos that feature the map.

    Best regards, Andrew

  15. Gemisht (4 comments.) on March 18th, 2008 at 9:42 pm:

    Yup they’re the ones Andrew. Although I hear that they are a little bit more hirsute than those from New York :)

  16. AndrewBoyd on March 19th, 2008 at 3:51 am:

    Hi Gemisht,

    I am too frightened to ask, but I can hazard a guess :)

    Cheers, Andrew

  17. Gemisht (4 comments.) on March 19th, 2008 at 10:04 pm:

    If a picture paints a thousand words, how many words to paint a picture????

    Ask if you need to, if the guess didn’t work.

  18. AndrewBoyd on March 20th, 2008 at 4:42 am:

    Hi Gemisht,

    thanks for that :) I think I’ve guessed. People are weird sometimes - that said, bald can be beautiful too :)

    Best regards, Andrew

  19. Rosemary Nissen-Wade (aka SnakyPoet) (3 comments.) on March 22nd, 2008 at 12:44 am:

    I’m a Taswegian, and I found it difficult to use the incomplete logo, though I did put it on my least-read blog. Fortunately there are other logos I was able to use for the rest.

    Can’t you people see that it is a deformity – nay, a mutilation! – to have the map of Tasmania excised from the main body?

  20. AndrewBoyd on March 22nd, 2008 at 8:02 am:

    Hi Rosemary,

    thank you for your comment.

    I think that there is an argument for a more complete and inclusive logo. We don’t want you to secede :)

    Best regards, Andrew

  21. Rosemary Nissen-Wade (aka SnakyPoet) (3 comments.) on March 22nd, 2008 at 11:08 am:

    Oh well that’s all right then - just so long as everyone realises that the map of Tasmania holds all the real power, and you bend over backwards in appeasement! ;)

    (Yes, seriously, it would be good to be included.)

  22. AndrewBoyd on March 22nd, 2008 at 1:50 pm:

    Hi Rosemary,

    thank you for that - and I can relate to the ‘map’ being the source of all power, trust me :)

    Let’s work together to build a more inclusive logo.

    Best regards, Andrew

  23. Rosemary Nissen-Wade (aka SnakyPoet) (3 comments.) on March 23rd, 2008 at 5:01 am:

    No worries, mate! But I am very ungeeky I’m afraid; will have to cheer from the sidelines while others do the actual work.

    Lani? Where is Lani? (The brilliant and wonderful but ever-so-slightly culturally blind creator of the original.)

  24. AndrewBoyd on March 23rd, 2008 at 8:03 am:

    Hi Rosemary,

    Lani has been busy and a bit ill of late, I will ask her nicely if I can prevail upon her time to put the missing bit back :)

    Funny thing - there is a para-Masonic legend about the piece of the arch that the builders forgot, some feel that there may be a connection to the missing piece of the map - one of those life-replicating-art things :)

    Best regards, Andrew

  25. GoaldeeBug on April 7th, 2008 at 8:02 am:

    Seriously… that little bit of land has been trying to float away from the mainland for years now, why don’t we just give it what it wants?

  26. AndrewBoyd on April 7th, 2008 at 8:56 am:

    Hi Goaldeebug,

    thank you for your comment.

    I like the idea of everyone feeling included - that said, if the People’s Democratic Republic of Tasmania wants to secede, then I wish them every success :)

    That said, there are a few people that want the two islands to remain within the one country, so I will try and get a “South Island inclusive” logo together soon.

    Best regards, Andrew

  27. becky (1 comments.) on April 10th, 2008 at 3:09 am:

    I never really thought of it this way.. I’m in America and never really look at the country shape, so I guess it does make a big difference whether Tasmania is included or not. Hmm… intriguing.

  28. AndrewBoyd on April 10th, 2008 at 10:09 pm:

    Hi Becky,

    thank you for your comment.

    I guess in US terms it is a little like Hawaii and Alaska - they are states in their own right and are sometimes left off the map in logos.

    Best regards, Andrew

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