Designing a map that describes the commercial real estate districts of Manhattan requires a critical appreciation of scale, ease of use, and graphic as well as textual legibility. After the designers determined the map’s scale and size (both open and folded), the principal communication device became color. Key colors are linked to prime available areas, while typographic fonts and sizes create distinctions between various information categories. An economy of descriptive devices and a focus on design fulfilled the client’s request that the map serve a dual purpose as a functional tool and a framed image.