easy steps to better maps

EASY STEPS TO BETTER MAPSDESIGN CONSIDERATIONS AND POINTERS

FOR NOVICE CARTOGRAPHERS

MIKE FOSTERDEPT. OF URBAN STUDIES AND PLANNING

MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGYTUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2013

OUTLINE

CARTOGRAPHIC DESIGNHIERARCHYFONTCOLOR

ARCGIS TO ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR

CARTOGRAPHIC DESIGN

WHAT IS THE MAP’S AGENDA?ELIMINATE CHARACTERISTICS NOTRELEVANT TO THE MAP AGENDAORCHESTRATE REMAINING ELEMENTSTO BEST CONVEY THE MAP AGENDA

before you make a map...

THREE OF THE FUNDAMENTALS

123

HIERARCHY

FONT

COLOR

1 HIERARCHY

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT ELEMENTS AROUND THEMAP, AND WHAT ARE THEIR RELATIVE IMPORTANCE?

IN ALL MAPS AND GRAPHICS, SOME ELEMENTS STAND OUT, SOME FALL TO THE BACK

INTELLECTUAL HIERARCHY

KRYGIER AND WOOD, 2011

1 HIERARCHYINTELLECTUAL HIERARCHYWHERE DOES YOUR EYE GO FIRST


1 HIERARCHY

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT ELEMENTS AROUND THEMAP, AND WHAT ARE THEIR RELATIVE IMPORTANCE?

INTELLECTUAL HIERARCHY

OLSON AND BREWER, 1997


1 HIERARCHYVISUAL HIERARCHY

CHOOSE YOUR VISUAL HEIRARCHY THAT REFLECTSTHE INTELLECTUAL HEIRARCHY

POINT, LINE, POLYGON, TEXT, COLOR, ETC.


1 HIERARCHYVISUAL HIERARCHY

1 HIERARCHYESTABLISHMENT OF FIGURE/GROUND

EASILY DISTINGUISH BETWEEN MAIN MAP FIGUREAND BACKGROUND INFORMATION

1 HIERARCHYESTABLISHMENT OF FIGURE/GROUND

METHODS

1 HIERARCHYBERTIN’S VISUAL VARIABLES

HOW CAN I BEST DISPLAY THE DATA ON MY MAP?

2 FONTUSE OF FONT IS IMPORTANT

IN COMMUNICATING YOUR MESSAGEMOVE BEYOND ARIAL!

2 FONTUSE OF FONT IS IMPORTANT

IN COMMUNICATING YOUR MESSAGEMOVE BEYOND ARIAL!

BUT PLEASE DON‛T USE COMIC SANS!BE CREATIVE!

2 FONTCHOOSE NO MORE THAN 2-3 FONTS

ENCODE YOUR CARTOGRAPHICMESSAGES INTO THE FONT

AT LEAST ONE SERIF FONT,AND ONE SANS SERIF FONT

2 FONT

2 FONT

WAYS YOU CAN VARY A TYPEFACE

SIZESIZE SIZE

BOLDBOLD

ITALICSITALICS

T R A C K I N GTRACKING

LEADINGLEADING

LEADING

LEADING

COLOR COLOR COLOR

2 FONT

THE CARTOGRAPHIC STANDARDS

USE SANS SERIF FOR MANMADE OBJECTSITALICIZE FOR PARKS AND POINTS OF INTEREST

USE SERIF FOR NATURAL OBJECTSITALICIZE FOR BODIES OF WATER

2 FONT

HEDBERG MAPS, 2008

2 FONTRESOURCES

www.typebrewer.comwww.typecache.com

www.typographydeconstructed.com

3 COLOR

EFFECTIVE COLOR CHOICE IS IMPORTANT THE LESS YOU USE, THE BETTER.

RULE OF THUMB:USE NO MORE THAN 6-7 DISTINCTCOLORS IN ONE MAP(VARY LIGHTNESS AND SATURATION)

AVOID OVERLY SATURATED AND BOLDCOLORS.

SCHEMESSEQUENTIALDIVERGENT

CATEGORICALCHOOSE BASEDON YOUR DATA

3 COLOR

CHOOSE COLOR BASED ONMODE OF FINAL CARTOGRAPHIC PRODUCT

CMYK FOR PRINT

RGB OR HEX FOR SCREEN

3 COLOR

CONSIDERATIONS

IMPLICATION: COLOR CANNOT BE SELECTED OUTSIDE OF CONTEXT

SIMULTANEOUS CONTRAST

VISUAL ACUITY ADVANCE AND RETREAT

SUCCESSIVE CONTRAST

KRYGIER, 2013

ADVANCE AND RETREAT

3 COLOR

CARTOGRAPHIC CONVENTIONSDIFFERENT COLORS HAVE CONVENTIONAL MEANINGS

BLUE: WATER, COOL, POSITIVE, SERENITY, MELANCHOLY, ETC.GREEN: VEGETATION, LOWLANDS, FORESTS, SPRING, ETC.RED: IMPORTANT, WARM, ACTION, LIFE, FIRE, DANGER, ETC.YELLOW/TAN: DRY, HOT, INTERMEDIATE, LACK OF VEG, ETC.ORANGE: ABUNDANCE, WARNING, HARVEST, FALL, ETC.BROWN: LAND, CONTOURS, DULL, ETC.PURPLE: DIGNITY, ROYALTY, RICH, SORROW, ETC.WHITE: PURITY, CLEAN, FAITH, ETC.BLACK: MYSTERY, STRENGTH, ETC.GRAY: QUIET, SOPHISTICATED, CONTROLLED, ETC.

KRYGIER, 2013

3 COLOR

CARTOGRAPHIC CONVENTIONS

2

2

2

71

53

169

169

53

2

35

35

73

2747

3

8

4

13

133

6

6

6

38

38

46

46

1

8465

65

65

73

73

37

23

61

61

33

1

210

200

200

371

194

210

6

7

7

5

169

169

53 135

16973

65

11

1

65

4

449

44

9

37

12

15

2

2

61

12

16

110

116

24

24

23

18

1691

1

12

53

5321771

4

Orr

Ely

Cook

Buhl

Bena

Warba

Tower

Remer

Emily

Effie

BoveyZemple

Wright

Winton

Nisswa

Mizpah

Marble

CuyunaTrommaldCrosby Barnum

Aurora

Arnold

Aitkin

Thomson

ScanlonProctor

Jenkins

Hibbing GilbertEveleth

Carlton

Calumet

Biwabik

Bigfork

Babbitt

Virginia

Tamarack

Riverton

Palisade

Northome

Nashwauk

McGregor

Leonidas

Keewatin

Deerwood

Cromwell

Chisholm

Wrenshall

Longville Hill City

Floodwood

Coleraine

Brookston

Boy River

Big Falls

Squaw Lake

Silver Bay

Moose LakeLake Shore

La Prairie

Hoyt Lakes

Hackensack

Deer River

Cross Lake

Beaver Bay

Two Harbors

Meadowlands

FiftyLakes

Federal Dam

Pequot Lakes

KettleRiver

Grand Rapids

Breezy Point

MountainIron

Iron Junction

ManhattanBeach

Cloquet

CARLTONAITKIN

CROW WING

CASS

ITASCA

KOOCHICHING

ST. LOUIS

LAKE

Hermantown

SavannaStateForest

Fond du LacState Forest

Chippewa National Forest

Superior National Forest

George WashingtonState Forest

LeechLake

GullLake

Lake

WomanLake

MabelLake

PokegamaLake

DeerLake

SwanLake

LakeW innibigoshish

Big SandyLake

LakeMinnewawa

RiceLake

Mississ ipp i R iver

M

ississ

ipp i

R.

Island LakeRes.

Fish LakeRes.

W ild Rice LakeRes.

KoochichingState Forest

Pine IslandState Forest

Cloquet ValleyState Forest



Bounda ry WatersCanoe Area WildernessBounda ry Waters

Canoe Area Wilderness

WhitefaceRes.

IndianLake

SeagullLake

SawbillLake

SnowbankLake

BasswoodLake

Knife Lake

InsulaLake

SilverIsland

Lake

L a ke

S

up e rior

White IronLake

BurntsideLake

LakeLa Croix

VermillionLake

NettLake

PelicanLake

BowstringLake

SturgeonLake

Big RiceLake

SandLake

DeerLake

IslandLake

Duluth Int’lAirport

Chisholm-Hibbing Airport

Sand PointLake

BirchLakeBear Head

Lake

RoundLake

SevenBeaverLake

GreenwoodLake

Bois ForteIndian Reservation

Leech LakeIndian Reservation

Fond du LacIndian Reservation

Duluth

Tofte

Embarrass

NettLake

French River

Knife River

Isabella

Duluth

Michael Foster, University o

>50,000

10,000 – 49,999

5,000 – 9,999

1,000 – 4,999

0 – 999

Hibbing

Moose Lake

Lutsen

Lege

Virginia

Towns and Cities

3 COLOR

COLORBLIND USERS

MAPS OFTEN ENCODE IN COLOR, BE AWARE!

RED -> BLUE OR YELLOW -> BLUE ARE GENERALLY SAFERED -> GREEN IS BAD!

TEST PRINTING YOUR MAP IN GREYSCALE TO SEE IF YOU CAN STILLSEE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN YOUR MAPPED CONTENT

COLORBLIND USERS

3 COLOR

MORE CARTOGRAPHIC CONVENTIONSBostonBack Bay

MASSACHUSETTS

Boston HarborCharles River

ATLANTIC OCEAN

NEW ENGLANDUNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Wild Rice Lake

Logan Int’l AirportLeech LakeIndian Reservation

Savanna State ForestSUPERIOR NATIONAL FORESTBoundary WatersCanoe Area Wilderness

Beaver PointCAPE COD

ADMINISTRATIVE REGIONSCITIES, NEIGHBORHOODS, STATES

ADMINISTRATIVE REGIONSCITIES, NEIGHBORHOODS, STATES

WATER FEATURESRIVERS, LAKES, OCEANS

MANMADE FEATURESPOINTS OF INTEREST

NATURAL FEATURESPOINTS OF INTEREST

COMBINING FONT AND COLOR

ARCGIS TO ADOBE ILLUSTRATORSET LAYOUT

EXPORT

COMPILE INAI

ADD LAYERSAS NEEDED

ADD GRIDS/SCALE/LABELS

STYLIZE

ADD DATA/PARAMETERS

REMOVEEFFECTS

THIS TEN STEP WORKFLOW WILL ALLOWFOR FULL CONTROL OVER YOUR MAP IN

ADOBE ILLUSTRATORCREATEBOOKMARK

SEPARATELAYERS

1. Using File > Page and Print Setup, set Page Layout (Portrait, Letter Size)

2. Using Data Frame Properties, set page margins and layout


EXPORT

COMPILE INAI

ADD LAYERSAS NEEDED


STYLIZE

ADD DATA/PARAMETERS

REMOVEEFFECTS

CREATEBOOKMARK

SEPARATELAYERS

1. Add Data to the Layout, determine extent that covers full subject area

2. Set projection, scale, and any other map parameters


EXPORT

COMPILE INAI

ADD LAYERSAS NEEDED


STYLIZE

ADD DATA/PARAMETERS

CREATEBOOKMARK

SEPARATELAYERS

REMOVEEFFECTS

1. Bookmarks > Create Bookmark

2. Name it “export extent”, this will be what you export from from now on


EXPORT

COMPILE INAI

ADD LAYERSAS NEEDED


STYLIZE

ADD DATA/PARAMETERS

CREATEBOOKMARK

SEPARATELAYERS

REMOVEEFFECTS

1. Open Attribute Table > Select by Attributes ... Select Road Types

2. Right click on layer > Selection > Create Layer from Selected Features

3. Logically name layer “Highways, Primary Roads, etc.”, repeat

http://www.mass.gov/anf/research-and-tech/it-serv-and-support/application-serv/o�ce-of-geographic-information-massgis/datalayers/eotroads.html


EXPORT

COMPILE INAI

ADD LAYERSAS NEEDED


STYLIZE

ADD DATA/PARAMETERS

CREATEBOOKMARK

SEPARATELAYERS

REMOVEEFFECTS

1. Adobe will rasterize all e�ects (transparencies, etc.)

2. Remove them, we will add them back in the Graphics Software


EXPORT

COMPILE INAI

ADD LAYERSAS NEEDED


STYLIZE

ADD DATA/PARAMETERS

CREATEBOOKMARK

SEPARATELAYERS

REMOVEEFFECTS

1. Place your basic map elements (scale, north arrow, graticule)

2. These will transfer to Adobe as vectors we can modify


EXPORT

COMPILE INAI

ADD LAYERSAS NEEDED


STYLIZE

ADD DATA/PARAMETERS

CREATEBOOKMARK

SEPARATELAYERS

REMOVEEFFECTS

1. Turn o� all Raster - Export Vector to AI format

2. Turn o� all Vector - Export Raster to image format

REMEMBER: SET YOUR COLORTO CMYK FOR PRINT, AND

VECTORIZE MARKERS


EXPORT

COMPILE INAI

ADD LAYERSAS NEEDED

STYLIZE

ADD DATA/PARAMETERS

CREATEBOOKMARK

SEPARATELAYERS

REMOVEEFFECTS


1. Open up your �le in Adobe Illustrator

2. Remove the Clipping Masks and Ungroup all your objects

3. Place all rasters on new layer


EXPORT

COMPILE INAI

ADD LAYERSAS NEEDED

STYLIZE

ADD DATA/PARAMETERS

CREATEBOOKMARK

SEPARATELAYERS

REMOVEEFFECTS


1. Stylize your layers, incorporating cartographic principles

2. Label freely, and remember to keep your �le organized


EXPORT

COMPILE INAI

ADD LAYERSAS NEEDED


STYLIZE

ADD DATA/PARAMETERS

CREATEBOOKMARK

SEPARATELAYERS

REMOVEEFFECTS

1. If you need an additional layer, return to ArcGIS

2. Export from your bookmarked export extent, save as secondary AI �le


EXPORT

COMPILE INAI

ADD LAYERSAS NEEDED


STYLIZE

ADD DATA/PARAMETERS

CREATEBOOKMARK

SEPARATELAYERS

REMOVEEFFECTS

easy steps to better maps

Design

fish lake

font use of font

hierarchy visual hierarchy

wild rice lake

intellectual hierarchy

font ways

font resources

color effective color