The first NapLab map was created 10 years ago. Here's what it did for Indy.

The massive 46-by-48-inch typographical poster that literally put Indy's neighborhoods on the map is celebrating a decade since its release with an updated 2018 edition.

The NapLab map of Indianapolis, with all-caps names sized proportionately to the neighborhoods they represent, has become an iconic piece of art that hangs in more than 4,000 homes and businesses.

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Martha Latta, who now oversees NapLab, said the the project helped achieve what the original creators set out to do: To help Indianapolis become a city of neighborhoods, and reinforce each area's sense of identity. 

Harrison Center for the Arts Executive Director Joanna Beatty Taft said the map is an important part of the center's work — so much so that there are three hanging in various spots in her building, including bathrooms.

"Until 2011, I had not noticed that Indianapolis used neighborhoods names the way I had seen in Chicago or New York," she said. "We began to use neighborhood names very intentionally in our work at the Harrison Center. It's helped neighbors develop a pride in where they live and understand the history."

Latta, who lives on the Eastside, was already in the business of manufacturing Indiana pride with T-shirt and accessory shop Sunday Afternoon Housewife when her friend, NapLab co-creator Josh Anderson, asked her to take over the map about two years ago.

"He wanted the project to keep going, but he just didn't want to do it himself," Latta said. "I said yes, not really having any idea what it entailed and never having done anything like that before."

A few 1,000-poster runs of NapLab later, Latta has learned a lot — like the fact that she can fit 80 of them into her Subaru Outback if she stacks them just right. She's also looking back on the impact the project has had on the city.

"Ten years ago, Indianapolis wasn't like Chicago where you say 'I live here, I live here, I live here' and people know exactly what you're talking about," she said. "In Indianapolis, you'd say, 'I live in Windsor Park' and everyone's like, where's that? But now, people are starting to understand the neighborhoods of Indianapolis better."

The 2018 edition is the fourth update of the map released since 2011. Some neighborhoods were newly named, some were wrongly named, other neighborhoods changed their names and some were left off accidentally. About 10 neighborhoods were added to the latest version, a handful were divided into smaller neighborhood names. 

Updating the current the map, which covers 400 square miles of Indianapolis, required a lot of listening, studying and researching with neighbors and city leaders, Latta said. 

"There are a lot of places where there is just no information to be found," she said.

Latta had no idea that Westside neighborhoods Fleming Gardens, Drexel Gardens and Garden City existed before she began her 2018 update.

Last year, City-County Councilman Jared Evans, who represents the west side, reached out to make some corrections about his district, dubbed then as the "far west side."

"He wanted his precinct represented right," she said. "We sat down and talked about all the things that were not right."

Evans brought historical documentation to show the names of certain neighborhoods, and to prove others were misnamed. 

"I explained to her that there were some really good neighborhoods that are missing," he said. "A lot of it was historical context that was lost."

After working with Latta, Evans feels more comfortable his constituents' neighborhoods are accurately represented.

"There's not an exact science to this, which for me is difficult because I'm a 90-degree angle guy," he said. "It's a lot of listening."

NapLab, short for Naptown Design Laboratory, represents much more than a geographical map, Evans said.

"Every person, whether elected or not, should care about their place of identity," he said. "You should have an understanding of your area. I wish more people took pride in their neighborhood."

Creators Matt Hale and Josh Anderson spent two years researching before they launched the first rendition of the map in 2011. The two were dedicated to both the art and design as well as the creation of a sense of place. Hale has a bachelor of fine arts in visual communication from the Herron School of Art and Design. Anderson graduated from Ball State University with bachelor's degree in landscape architecture, and now is a principal of his own architecture firm. Hale has since moved out of state.

The work by the NapLab creators and Martha Latta helped create a community of proud neighborhood ambassadors, and that's not a passing trend, Taft said.

"(NapLab) came at the right time and it helped create a movement and a lot of different people were doing important work, but the map helped us all propel our work forward," she said. "People are suddenly aware that we're not India-no-place and that we're really proud of who we are."

The NapLab map can be purchased for $40 at City Gallery, Silver in the City, Handmade Promenade and more.

Call IndyStar reporter Amy Bartner at (317) 444-6752. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.