A handsome pronghorn in casualwear.

Alex McPhee

Pronghorn Maps

Need maps?

A pronghorn sitting at a laptop

I'm analytic

Need a GIS person? I have thousands of hours of open-source experience. No project is too small: I specialize in using free software to help your organization avoid big licensing fees and long-term commitments.

A pronghorn drawing at a drafting table

I'm artistic

I am a true cartographer in the traditional sense, holding multiple industry awards for quality in print. My work is a unique intersection of data visualization, graphic design, and communications. Let's get together and tell your story.

Industry awards

2019
Best in Design (Student)
North American Cartographic Information Society
2020
Best Reference Map
Cartography and Geographic Information Society
2020-2021
Stanfords Award (Highly Commended)
British Cartographic Society
2022
Atlas of Design
North American Cartographic Information Society

Résumé

2020
BSc. Geophysics (Spec.)
University of Alberta
Discovered the world of map libraries and the basics of scientific image processing.
2021-date
Proprietor
Prairie Heart Maps
Southern Saskatchewan's most distinguished solo map publishing business!
2021
Publication
McPhee's Alberta
My first reference map. Won four industry awards in three countries.
2021
Federal candidate
Cypress Hills—Grasslands NDP
Learned how to accept second place graciously.
2022-date
Webmaster
Polling Canada
All the graphics and web development for Canada's largest polling aggregator.
2022-2023
Editorial cartographer
iPolitics / QP Briefing
Newsroom maps, graphics, and web interactives done fast.
2022
Publication
McPhee's Saskatchewan
An instant bestseller. Hangs in 250 different towns and now in its second edition.
2023-date
Editorial cartographer
338 Canada
Maps and web interactives for Canada's premier election forecaster.

Satisfied clients

A tourist orientation map of Val Marie and Grasslands National Park.

Val Marie visitor map

Key skills: tourism development, stakeholder relations

The Village of Val Marie and the administration of Grasslands National Park wanted a new visitor map that would promote both destinations. Our remote corner of the province has a lot of bad roads and spotty cell service, so basic safety was a priority. Many revisions were needed to showcase the best of the region while keeping tourists out of trouble.

The map ended up being so popular with the client that it was also made into outdoor signs around the village.

A conference map of downtown Minneapolis.

NACIS program map

Key skills: visual identity, visitor orientation

Designing conference materials, sure. But for North America's largest society of cartographers? I had to be on top of my game!

This map was created to be highly practical while also matching the colour scheme and font faces of the wider conference.

As you might imagine, NACIS has no shortage of available talent when it comes to the organization's own map projects, so I was extremely honoured to be chosen for the 2022 program.

A thematic map of bilingualism in Canada.

iPolitics datajournalism

Key skills: communications, very fast turnaround

This is one of my favourite examples of maps created to drum up interest in iPolitics' subscriber-only newsroom content.

The goal was to be the first to publish whenever a new census or election dataset was released - often unexpectedly. Very different from my usual slow, methodical projects!

My clients will tell you that I took to the time pressure fairly well, and I still hold a number of political contracts today.

What to expect

I estimate based on my productive time. My hourly rate is $80, and my daily rate is $600. Please note my productive time is extremely productive; all of these example projects were made in less than a week.

I like to give a single quote at the beginning of a project, and I will do my best to inform you if the work is moving in a direction that's wildly off estimate. A planning meeting is always free!

After receiving an estimate, expect to pay half up front, and work will begin summarily. I will produce invoices as needed to keep your accountant satisfied.