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This week, we’re discussing the intricately designed Christmas cards that Rand McNally used to send out each holiday season…
Question: “Does Rand McNally still Design an annual Christmas card?”
Tom’s Answer:
Thank you for the question! Unfortunately, the quick answer is no. However, I have wonderful memories of the beautiful Christmas cards the company used to send to customers and employees during the holiday season. When I started at Rand McNally in September of 1986, I received my first company Christmas card that December. I recall how extremely creative the design was; the gesture felt very thoughtful, and as a new employee, I truly appreciated receiving the card.
Regrettably, I didn't save any of the cards I received back in the early years of my career. But for this blog, I’d like to share some background on this unique and festive cartographic greeting and specifically discuss the lead designer of the cards.
The Rand McNally Christmas Card Tradition
From what I’ve been able to research, Andrew McNally III started issuing prints of old maps as company Christmas greetings in 1948, and the last cards were distributed in 1995.
One of the designers was Chris Arvetis (see image below), who began his career at Rand McNally in 1951 as a staff designer. He eventually became Vice President of the Art and Design Department in 1965. Over his long tenure, Chris brought his artistic vision to a wide range of projects, including educational materials, trade publications, road maps, world atlases, posters, and calendars.
One of his favorite assignments was designing Rand McNally’s annual holiday card. For more than 40 years, Chris created cards that featured large, high-quality reproductions of antique maps. These beautifully crafted pieces were shared each year with employees, customers, vendors, and friends of the company, becoming a cherished tradition and a reflection of his deep appreciation for the art of cartography.
The front of the card was always tastefully laid out and usually included a simple greeting like “Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.” A few examples of the front covers are shown in the image below.
Creative Cartographic Design
I always thought the design of the Christmas cards was truly imaginative. Unlike a traditional two-fold card, the Rand McNally cards often included multiple folds or odd shapes, as shown below.
The card above, for instance, was a tri-fold format. It included the usual artistic front cover design, old map images, and editorial copy detailing the history of the map presented.
A more traditional brochure-style concept was also often used, as shown in the images above, plus an example of a “flag” design that Chris implemented for the card in 1963.
The image below shows the full layout of a Christmas card before it was printed and folded, including color bars along the bottom and crop marks at the edges.
A consistent feature of the Christmas cards was the inclusion of old map images displaying wonderful and artistic cartography from the past. The map images were often chosen in close collaboration with map experts from the Newberry Library, and Chris would incorporate these maps into his design. Some examples of these historic map images are shown below.
The Power of Collaboration
Chris was interviewed in 1970 by Communication Arts magazine, the largest international trade journal of visual communication, while he was running the Art and Design Department at Rand McNally. In that article, he talks about his great respect for cartographers and the skill sets required to produce maps. He admitted to being cautious at first about presenting his design suggestions to Rand McNally’s established cartographic team.
Eventually, the teams collaborated on many projects, incorporating graphic and typographic design modifications from Chris and his team. This improved the effectiveness of the maps without diminishing their cartographic integrity.
I find it interesting that the collaboration between the Design and Cartographic teams still exists today within Rand McNally Publishing. For example, both groups recently worked together—along with the marketing and operations team—to develop and produce the brand new Route 66 Centennial map, releasing early in 2026!
Additionally, Chris Arvetis was also a talented artist (see an example of his artwork in the image below) and a children's book author who contributed to Rand McNally’s “Just Ask” book series, a popular vintage series of children's educational books published in the 1980s. Overall, Chris and his extraordinary design talents left a lasting mark on Rand McNally’s visual identity during his time with the company.
Finally, I would like to offer a big thank you to the Arvetis family for reaching out and providing the images and background information about Chris that I used for this blog. With the holiday season upon us, it was the perfect opportunity to highlight the talent and artistic vision he incorporated into these exceptional cards for Rand McNally back in the day.
Rand McNally Publishing Gift Ideas
Since the holiday season is here, I wanted to share a few gift ideas to end this blog, as I often get asked which Rand McNally products make nice gifts.
- Road Atlas Product Line: My first recommendation is always the Road Atlas. I believe an atlas is a wonderful gift that anyone should have on hand for travel planning and as a backup to their GPS.
- Kids Illustrated World Wall Map: Another fantastic gift idea is this colorful map with playful graphics that will spark the curiosity of young minds.
- Globes: Finally, I often suggest a globe as a gift, as we offer a variety of exquisite globes at many different price points.
Thanks again for the question! Feel free to submit your map or cartography questions below and check back soon for another installment of "Ask a Cartographer."
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