John Nelson is a cartographer and UX designer at Esri, working with the ArcGIS Living Atlas team where he pushes and pulls data in creative ways while sharing his process with the community. With a Master's degree in GeoScience from Central Michigan University (2004), John has become one of the most recognized voices in creative cartography and data visualization.
He is best known as the creator of Firefly cartography, a distinctive mapping style featuring glowing thematic layers against dark, desaturated imagery basemaps. Since developing this technique around 2012, it has inspired thousands of cartographers and become a standard approach for engaging visual storytelling with maps. John believes Firefly cartography "tricks normal people into realizing how much they like maps" through its cinematic quality and visual appeal.
Beyond Firefly, John has developed numerous popular map styles for ArcGIS Pro including Middle Earth (inspired by Tolkien maps), Eduard Imhof Topography (honoring the legendary Swiss cartographer), and the 1850s Physical Geography Atlas style. His styles are freely available at esriurl.com/nelsonstyles. John won the prestigious Prix Carto award for digital cartography in 2019 for his work creating and sharing the Imhof-like terrain mapping method.
His teaching approach combines technical expertise with personality and humanity, making cartography accessible to practitioners at all levels. Through hundreds of detailed tutorials, blog posts, and videos, John demonstrates that effective map design isn't just about software—it's about understanding territory, people, and the intentions behind every cartographic choice. When not making maps, he's "chasing around toddlers and wrangling chickens."
