My new favorite product: Felt
The best way to make maps on the internet
Disclosure: I’m not an investor. I was not paid to write this. I just love the product.
As a kid growing up, I remember I had an obsession with maps. When I looked at a map, I visualized what each place might look like, what the people might be like, and what they do there. This fascination grew in me and my love of the world is central to who I am today. Now when I look at a map, I get a narcotic tingling of what’s possible.
So when I discovered Felt, I fell in love. Plain and simple, it's the easiest way to make maps online. Some things you can do with Felt:
Plan an adventure
Track climate events as they unfold (would have been helpful when we were smoked out by forest fires in Montana)
Provide personalized maps to friends and family (things like "what recommendations do you have for Buenos Aires?")
I’m a geography geek, and so much of my life has been spent looking at maps to plan adventures and learn about different regions. But more often than not we'll be talking about a country or place or destination, and people might not have a solid understanding of where you’re referring to.
Using a map to describe, in space, where things are in relation to other is actually really useful. Maps are cool because they give you a way to visually represent information about the world in ways that everyone understands. Enter Felt.
I love using Felt for a few reasons. To start, it’s beautifully-designed and using a beautifully-designed product just makes you feel better. They’ve also nailed the user experience—it’s extremely easy to use, has a simple layout, and makes sharing each Felt map a breeze. I’ve been using this product for the better part of a year and have made some cool maps.
In May of 2022, we decided to hit the road for a year and stay in various Airbnbs all over the US, so I made a Felt map to visualize our journey. (Link to map)
And actually just last night, Dave, my co-founder at Swell, was asking me about Oregon wine which is known for its Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. So I quickly whipped up this map to help visualize the wine region, then texted him the link. (Link to map)
Also, later this year, Annie’s cousin is getting married in Ireland and we’re planning to make a trip out of it. I used Felt to help us better understand how to plan our trip and where we’ll be staying. (Link to map)
Felt is a startup backed by Designer Fund, a firm that backs design-driven founders and provides them with an average investment of $500K, monthly design help, and a community of design leaders. I’ve interacted with a handful of the people behind Felt and have been impressed. They’ve all been friendly and seem like a group of passionate, likeminded designers and geography nerds.
Who doesn't love a good map? Sign up for Felt, then bookmark it and use it the next time you’re talking about a specific place. Happy mapmaking!
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