When it comes to color, resist the temptation to go full rainbow. Reference maps focus on location, depicting natural and/or man-made features. There are two broad map categories: reference and thematic. These considerations should inform what map type you choose. Different map types are better suited to displaying different types of information.Ĭonsider the question you’re trying to answer and the story you want to tell. Once you know what your end goal is, you can gather data and start making decisions about how you want your map to look. So first, you need to define your question! Are you looking to relay general reference information? Or is there a specific theme you want to explore? Your map should be visual representation of the answer to a question. Here’s our five-step process for creating an effective map layout. Start with a question and make sure anything you add from there helps to support the answer. For organizations, it's often a logo.Īs we've mentioned, making good maps doesn't have to be complicated. For individuals, the source graphic could simply be a subscript with their name. This element is intended to tell the viewer who created the map. It serves the same purpose as a bibliography. The source note shows viewers where the information displayed on the map came from. Google Maps, for example, always orients North to the top of the screen. Orientation indicatorĪ map’s orientation is the relationship between the directions shown on the map vs. This ratio is often represented as a fraction. ![]() The scale is typically a ratio: one that relates a single map distance unit to a corresponding distance in the real world. Inset maps typically show a specific area of the main map on a larger scale - giving more detail or adding emphasis to an area of interest. This is a smaller map featured off to the side or in the corner of your main map. For example, if your map depicts the location of parks in Seattle, a good title would be “Location of All Seattle Parks." Inset map ![]() A good title should include the geographic name, the layer name, and the indicator name. The map title reflects the subject of the map. An effective legend should include a sample of the symbol and a short description of what that symbol indicates. LegendĪlso known as a key, the legend explains any symbols used on the map. All the other elements provide supplementary information meant to clarify and/or support the main map body. Exactly what it sounds like, this is the map itself.
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