Why is one country pink and its neighbour green? Does a gold coastline mean something different from a blue one?

On our Classic and Future World Maps, the colours used across countries are design choices rather than a code for climate, wealth or political allegiance. But that doesn’t mean they’re without purpose.

Colour guides your eye, shapes how you read the geography and changes the whole character of a map. It can make a border stand out or let your gaze travel across it. It also helps turn a detailed reference print into something you want to live with on the wall.

Do colours have the same meaning on every map?

No. It depends on the map and the information it is designed to show.

A physical map might use colour to indicate elevation or sea depth. A geological map can distinguish different rock units, while a thematic map might use shading to show population density or another measured value. The key or legend explains how to read those colours.

On a political world map, contrasting colours are often used simply to distinguish neighbouring countries. A country shown in green isn’t necessarily forested, and one in yellow isn’t necessarily desert.

That distinction is useful when looking at our designs: the country colours create a visual arrangement, while other map features and their keys provide geographical information.

Classic World Map: colour that makes countries stand apart

Our Classic World Map takes its cue from the familiar schoolroom map, with a contemporary approach to colour.

Neighbouring countries are picked out in contrasting shades, helping you follow their borders and distinguish their shapes. The patchwork gives your eye a way into the detail, whether you’re finding a capital city or tracing the countries along a journey.

We pair that approach with the curved outline of the Robinson projection. The result is a map with a familiar structure, available in colourways that give it very different moods—from restrained monochrome to brighter combinations.

The colours aren’t a ranking or a classification of countries. They help make the geography readable and the whole print visually engaging.

Future Map: colour that flows across borders

The Future Map approaches colour differently.

Rather than giving every neighbouring country a sharply contrasting shade, we arrange colour to flow across countries and continents. Borders remain visible, but they don’t dictate the whole visual rhythm of the print.

It’s a more connected view of the world, where your eye can move across a region without stopping at every boundary. The palette becomes part of the larger composition, bringing continents together as a graphic whole.

Combined with the unfamiliar shapes of its equal-area projection, this gives the Future Map its distinctive character. It invites you to look again at geography you thought you knew.

From a colour palette to a finished print

Choosing a palette means considering how colours behave together. A shade that works beautifully on its own might disappear beside another, or draw more attention than intended.

Our lithographic maps add another dimension through metallic inks and selected areas of gloss varnish. These bring changes in reflection and surface finish that a screen cannot fully convey.

The colourway, the paper and the printed surface all contribute to the finished piece. It’s why a close-up of a map can feel quite different from a small photograph of the whole world.

Choosing a map colour scheme for your home

Start with the room and the role you want the map to play.

A bold palette can give a quieter space a focal point. A softer combination might echo colours already present in furniture, textiles or artwork. Monochrome offers another route, drawing attention to the forms and detail of the geography.

Then think about how you enjoy looking at a map. If you like countries clearly separated by colour, the Classic approach may appeal. If you prefer a more flowing graphic composition, take a closer look at the Future Map.

Our guide to choosing a world map explores those differences in more detail.

The colours may not tell you a country’s temperature or population, but they do have a job to do: helping you see the world, and giving it a place in your home.

Explore our world maps and colourways.