EASY STEPS TO BETTER MAPS

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS AND POINTERS

FOR NOVICE CARTOGRAPHERS

MIKE FOSTER
DEPT. OF URBAN STUDIES AND PLANNING
MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2013
 OUTLINE
CARTOGRAPHIC DESIGN
HIERARCHY
FONT
COLOR

ARCGIS TO ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR

 CARTOGRAPHIC DESIGN

before you make a map...

WHAT IS THE MAP’S AGENDA?
ELIMINATE CHARACTERISTICS NOT
RELEVANT TO THE MAP AGENDA
ORCHESTRATE REMAINING ELEMENTS
TO BEST CONVEY THE MAP AGENDA
THREE OF THE FUNDAMENTALS

1 HIERARCHY
2 COLOR
3 FONT
 1 HIERARCHY INTELLECTUAL HIERARCHY
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT ELEMENTS AROUND THE
MAP, AND WHAT ARE THEIR RELATIVE IMPORTANCE?

IN ALL MAPS AND GRAPHICS,

SOME ELEMENTS STAND OUT, SOME FALL TO THE BACK

KRYGIER AND WOOD, 2011

 1 HIERARCHY INTELLECTUAL HIERARCHY
WHERE DOES YOUR EYE GO FIRST

KRYGIER AND WOOD, 2011

 1 HIERARCHY INTELLECTUAL HIERARCHY
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT ELEMENTS AROUND THE
MAP, AND WHAT ARE THEIR RELATIVE IMPORTANCE?

OLSON AND BREWER, 1997

 1 HIERARCHY VISUAL HIERARCHY
CHOOSE YOUR VISUAL HEIRARCHY THAT REFLECTS
THE INTELLECTUAL HEIRARCHY
POINT, LINE, POLYGON, TEXT, COLOR, ETC.

KRYGIER AND WOOD, 2011

 1 HIERARCHY
VISUAL HIERARCHY

KRYGIER AND WOOD, 2011

1 HIERARCHY
ESTABLISHMENT OF FIGURE/GROUND
EASILY DISTINGUISH BETWEEN MAIN MAP FIGURE
AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION
1 HIERARCHY
ESTABLISHMENT OF FIGURE/GROUND
METHODS
1 HIERARCHY
BERTIN’S VISUAL VARIABLES
HOW CAN I BEST DISPLAY THE DATA ON MY MAP?
2 FONT
USE OF FONT IS IMPORTANT
IN COMMUNICATING YOUR MESSAGE
MOVE BEYOND ARIAL!
2 FONT
USE OF FONT IS IMPORTANT
IN COMMUNICATING YOUR MESSAGE
MOVE BEYOND ARIAL!

BE CREATIVE!
BUT PLEASE DON‛T USE COMIC SANS!
2 FONT
CHOOSE NO MORE THAN 2-3 FONTS
AT LEAST ONE SERIF FONT,
AND ONE SANS SERIF FONT

ENCODE YOUR CARTOGRAPHIC

MESSAGES INTO THE FONT
2 FONT
2 FONT
WAYS YOU CAN VARY A TYPEFACE

SIZE SIZE SIZE TRACKING T R A C K I N G

BOLD BOLD LEADING LEADING
LEADING
ITALICS ITALICS LEADING

COLOR COLOR COLOR

2 FONT
THE CARTOGRAPHIC STANDARDS

USE SANS SERIF FOR MANMADE OBJECTS

ITALICIZE FOR PARKS AND POINTS OF INTEREST
USE SERIF FOR NATURAL OBJECTS
ITALICIZE FOR BODIES OF WATER
 2 FONT

HEDBERG MAPS, 2008

2 FONT RESOURCES
www.typebrewer.com
www.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 DISTINCT
COLORS IN ONE MAP
(VARY LIGHTNESS AND SATURATION)

AVOID OVERLY SATURATED AND BOLD

COLORS.
3 COLOR
SCHEMES
SEQUENTIAL
DIVERGENT
CATEGORICAL
CHOOSE BASED
ON YOUR DATA
3 COLOR
CHOOSE COLOR BASED ON
MODE OF FINAL CARTOGRAPHIC PRODUCT

CMYK FOR PRINT

RGB OR HEX FOR SCREEN

 3 COLOR CONSIDERATIONS

SUCCESSIVE CONTRAST
SIMULTANEOUS CONTRAST

VISUAL ACUITY ADVANCE AND RETREAT

IMPLICATION: COLOR CANNOT BE SELECTED OUTSIDE OF CONTEXT

KRYGIER, 2013
 3 COLOR CARTOGRAPHIC CONVENTIONS
DIFFERENT 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
 217
53 Sand Point
71
Lake

3 COLOR
Lake
Pine Island La Croix
State Forest
24
Big Falls

KOOCHICHING 65
Nett
Lake Nett
Knife Lake Seagull
Lake Pelican Lake
Lake 116 Basswood
23 12
Koochiching Bois Forte
Indian Reservation Orr
Lake

24
State Forest Bounda ry Waters

CARTOGRAPHIC CONVENTIONS
71
6 Bounda ry Waters Burntside Snowbank Canoe Area Wilderness
53
Canoe Area Wilderness Lake 18 Lake
Mizpah Winton
Ely Insula Sawbill
orthome Lake Lake
1 Deer 169 White Iron
Effie Lake 1 Cook Vermillion 1 Lake
1 Lake
Island
Lake Tower 12 1 Superior Na
46 1 Birch Fores
LAKE
Bear Head Silver
Bigfork Lake
Lake
Island
Sturgeon 53 Big Rice 135
Lake
Lake
38 George Washington Lake
169 12 Babbitt
State Forest 73 Superior National
Squaw Lake Embarrass
Round
Lake Sand
Forest Isabella
61
Lake 65
Mountain Tofte
Chippewa National Iron Virginia Aurora Seven 2 Greenwood
Bowstring Beaver
Forest
ITASCA
Lake
Chisholm Biwabik
Lake
Buhl Hoyt Lakes Lake
1
Lake 6
Hibbing
169 Eveleth
Gilbert Superior National o r
ri
W innibigoshish
Leonidas 110
46
Deer 38
Keewatin
Iron Junction Forest
Lake 37

pe
2 Nashwauk Chisholm- 16
Bena 15
Deer River Hibbing Airport

Su
ake Marble 4
vation Bovey
ST. LOUIS
Zemple Calumet Whiteface
Coleraine 169
Swan
5 Res. Silver Bay
Indian
Grand Rapids
Federal Dam Lake
Lake Beaver Bay
La Prairie 65 7
Pokegama 53 2
Lake Cloquet Valley 61
Boy River
ech State Forest

ke
8 Mabel 73 44
ake Lake Warba
6
CASS
M is s is s i

La
4 169 49
Meadowlands 4
Remer 2 133
pp

200 Ri Island Lake

i

ve Res.
r
W oman
Lake
Longville Hill City 200
Two Harbors
Fish Lake
ack Savanna Res. 37
7 Knife River
84 Floodwood Duluth Int’l W ild Rice Lake
State 65 Airport 61
Res.
Forest 53
Brookston
9
Arnold French River
73 2
6
169
Big Sandy Fond du Lac
194
Hermantown Lege
Indian Reservation 2
Duluth
Lake
Fifty 33
Towns and Cities
1 Lakes Emily Fond du Lac Cloquet Proctor

Duluth
Lake Palisade
Manhattan Lake
State Forest Scanlon 35
Beach
3 Minnewawa >50,000
AITKIN Wright Cromwell
Cross Lake Thomson
Hibbing
210
ins Tamarack Carlton 10,000 – 49,999
Breezy Point
CARLTON
R.

McGregor
Virginia
ppi

210 Wrenshall
5,000 – 9,999
CROW WING
akes
4
i
is s

371
is s

73
Nisswa Cuyuna
M
Aitkin 65 35 23 Moose Lake 1,000 – 4,999
Trommald Kettle
e 3 River
Crosby Rice
Lake
Barnum Lutsen 0 – 999
Riverton Moose Lake
3 COLOR
COLORBLIND USERS
MAPS OFTEN ENCODE IN COLOR, BE AWARE!
RED -> BLUE OR YELLOW -> BLUE ARE GENERALLY SAFE
RED -> GREEN IS BAD!

TEST PRINTING YOUR MAP IN GREYSCALE TO SEE IF YOU CAN STILL

SEE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN YOUR MAPPED CONTENT
COMBINING FONT AND COLOR
MORE CARTOGRAPHIC CONVENTIONS
Back Bay
Boston
ADMINISTRATIVE REGIONS MASSACHUSETTS
CITIES, NEIGHBORHOODS, STATES
NEW ENGLAND
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
MANMADE FEATURES Logan Int’l Airport
POINTS OF INTEREST Leech Lake
Indian Reservation

NATURAL FEATURES Beaver Point

POINTS OF INTEREST CAPE COD

Savanna State Forest

ADMINISTRATIVE REGIONS SUPERIOR NATIONAL FOREST
CITIES, NEIGHBORHOODS, STATES Boundary Waters
Canoe Area Wilderness
Wild Rice Lake
WATER FEATURES Charles River
RIVERS, LAKES, OCEANS Boston Harbor
ATLANTIC OCEAN
ARCGIS TO ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR
SET LAYOUT

ADD DATA/
PARAMETERS THIS TEN STEP WORKFLOW WILL ALLOW
FOR FULL CONTROL OVER YOUR MAP IN
CREATE
BOOKMARK ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR
SEPARATE
LAYERS

REMOVE
EFFECTS

ADD GRIDS/
SCALE/LABELS

EXPORT

COMPILE IN
AI

STYLIZE

ADD LAYERS
AS NEEDED
ARCGIS TO ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR
SET LAYOUT
1. Using File > Page and Print Setup, set Page Layout (Portrait, Letter Size)
ADD DATA/
PARAMETERS 2. Using Data Frame Properties, set page margins and layout
CREATE
BOOKMARK

SEPARATE
LAYERS

REMOVE
EFFECTS

ADD GRIDS/
SCALE/LABELS

EXPORT

COMPILE IN
AI

STYLIZE

ADD LAYERS
AS NEEDED
ARCGIS TO ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR
SET LAYOUT
1. Add Data to the Layout, determine extent that covers full subject area
ADD DATA/
PARAMETERS 2. Set projection, scale, and any other map parameters
CREATE
BOOKMARK

SEPARATE
LAYERS

REMOVE
EFFECTS

ADD GRIDS/
SCALE/LABELS

EXPORT

COMPILE IN
AI

STYLIZE

ADD LAYERS
AS NEEDED
ARCGIS TO ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR
SET LAYOUT
1. Bookmarks > Create Bookmark
ADD DATA/
PARAMETERS 2. Name it “export extent”, this will be what you export from from now on
CREATE
BOOKMARK

SEPARATE
LAYERS

REMOVE
EFFECTS

ADD GRIDS/
SCALE/LABELS

EXPORT

COMPILE IN
AI

STYLIZE

ADD LAYERS
AS NEEDED
 ARCGIS TO ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR
SET LAYOUT
1. Open Attribute Table > Select by Attributes ... Select Road Types
ADD DATA/
PARAMETERS 2. Right click on layer > Selection > Create Layer from Selected Features
CREATE 3. Logically name layer “Highways, Primary Roads, etc.”, repeat
BOOKMARK

SEPARATE
LAYERS

REMOVE
EFFECTS

ADD GRIDS/
SCALE/LABELS

EXPORT

COMPILE IN
AI

STYLIZE

ADD LAYERS
AS NEEDED

http://www.mass.gov/anf/research-and-tech/it-serv-and-support/application-serv/
office-of-geographic-information-massgis/datalayers/eotroads.html
ARCGIS TO ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR
SET LAYOUT
1. Adobe will rasterize all effects (transparencies, etc.)
ADD DATA/
PARAMETERS 2. Remove them, we will add them back in the Graphics Software
CREATE
BOOKMARK

SEPARATE
LAYERS

REMOVE
EFFECTS

ADD GRIDS/
SCALE/LABELS

EXPORT

COMPILE IN
AI

STYLIZE

ADD LAYERS
AS NEEDED
 ARCGIS TO ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR
SET LAYOUT
1. Place your basic map elements (scale, north arrow, graticule)
ADD DATA/
PARAMETERS 2. These will transfer to Adobe as vectors we can modify
CREATE
BOOKMARK

SEPARATE
LAYERS

REMOVE
EFFECTS

ADD GRIDS/
SCALE/LABELS

EXPORT

COMPILE IN
AI

STYLIZE

ADD LAYERS
AS NEEDED
ARCGIS TO ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR
SET LAYOUT
1. Turn off all Raster - Export Vector to AI format REMEMBER: SET YOUR COLOR
TO CMYK FOR PRINT, AND
ADD DATA/ VECTORIZE MARKERS
PARAMETERS 2. Turn off all Vector - Export Raster to image format
CREATE
BOOKMARK

SEPARATE
LAYERS

REMOVE
EFFECTS

ADD GRIDS/
SCALE/LABELS

EXPORT

COMPILE IN
AI

STYLIZE

ADD LAYERS
AS NEEDED
ARCGIS TO ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR
SET LAYOUT
1. Open up your file in Adobe Illustrator
ADD DATA/
PARAMETERS 2. Remove the Clipping Masks and Ungroup all your objects
CREATE 3. Place all rasters on new layer
BOOKMARK

SEPARATE
LAYERS

REMOVE
EFFECTS

ADD GRIDS/
SCALE/LABELS

EXPORT

COMPILE IN
AI

STYLIZE

ADD LAYERS
AS NEEDED
ARCGIS TO ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR
SET LAYOUT
1. Stylize your layers, incorporating cartographic principles
ADD DATA/
PARAMETERS 2. Label freely, and remember to keep your file organized
CREATE
BOOKMARK

SEPARATE
LAYERS

REMOVE
EFFECTS

ADD GRIDS/
SCALE/LABELS

EXPORT

COMPILE IN
AI

STYLIZE

ADD LAYERS
AS NEEDED
ARCGIS TO ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR
SET LAYOUT
1. If you need an additional layer, return to ArcGIS
ADD DATA/
PARAMETERS 2. Export from your bookmarked export extent, save as secondary AI file
CREATE
BOOKMARK

SEPARATE
LAYERS

REMOVE
EFFECTS

ADD GRIDS/
SCALE/LABELS

EXPORT

COMPILE IN
AI

STYLIZE

ADD LAYERS
AS NEEDED