Different Types of Globes

Meghan: A globe is not what you typically think of when decorating your home but it is a great accent and I am here today at Replogle Globes to learn how to choose the right globe for your home. I am hitting the road searching for answers and finding great design. It is a quest for beauty, function and of course, inspiration. When choosing a globe, your first considerations are the same as those for any other excellent piece in your room. The colors on the globe should compliment the décor of your room. The size of the globe, whether it is a desk or floor globe, should be the scale with where you decide to place it and the style of the globe should fit with your decorating style. But there are other things you should also consider when picking out globes. Unlike most knick-knacks, globes are not just for decoration. It provides knowledge of the world in a spherical form and the globe you choose will greatly affect the type of knowledge you receive as Maureen Kehoe, the marketing manager of Replogle globes explain. Maureen: Depending on the size, the diameter of the globe ball, you are able to fit different amounts of information on the map itself. So our larger globe balls lend themselves better for lots of place names, lots of country details, topographical and political details whereas if you have a smaller diameter globe, you just run out of space. Meghan: Basically, if you want to use it for function, you want to go as big as you can. Maureen: It is possible, yes. Meghan: Because you will be able to see more and there will be more information listed. Maureen: Correct. And the traditional style globes feature lots of place information and as we get to more contemporary style globe maps, they are a little more minimal. Meghan: In the information they offer? Maureen: In the information they offer. Fewer place things and that is done just for pure aesthetics that it is supposed to be sleek and easy on the eyes. Meghan: The information you get on a globe is not only affected by size and style. The type of globe plays a big factor and there are many different types of globes as I learned while chatting with Terry Donovan, the chief cartographer at Replogle Globes. Terry: Well we offer different planets, a Moon and a Mars at different scales. We do show the constellation where when you look at the globe and you see these stars and the constellation patterns and then when you turn the light on, the zodiac figures become illuminated so they blend in with the star pattern so that is an exciting, interesting globe. Very antique, generally we try to show a relationship to the historical past. With this globe, for example, we do show some earlier exploration our ships used for exploration and it just gives people a certain perspective, a certain-- Meghan: Historical reference? Terry: Yes, reference to the development of man’s understanding of places. I mean back in late 15th century, there was no knowledge of the new world so globes at that time and even flat maps at that time did not show North and South America and yet their colors were similar to what we show on our antique maps so it does have that aura of an older globe, an old word globe. Meghan: While still being up to date? Terry: Exactly. Meghan: Well up for this year? Terry: Hopefully this year. Meghan: Next year it might be out of date. Terry: Exactly, exactly but we will show our standard blue ocean maps, there are several varieties of that. We also have a children’s globe where we show a lot of figures of animals and places, parks and buildings and that is an educational tool and yet it is very colorful and people enjoy it even adults or children. Most globes really can be used for both children and adults. The figures are interesting because it makes you do some research outside of it, you see on the globe because it immediately triggers some questions where sometimes the globe will just place names in something you have to study and what they say when you look at a globe, you do read the globe, you do not just use it as decoration although it certainly