GIS 5007: Map Elements & Typography

 
For this week’s lab, we explored the role of typography in cartography. The assignment focused on creating a map that incorporates proper labeling, font choices, and customization. My map highlights major cities, rivers, and swamps in Florida (Figure 1). Through trial and error, I learned how to annotate and customize labels in Esri ArcGIS Pro, adjusting font, placement, and style to improve overall map clarity. I used text, color, and symbol weight to show the hierarchy of the capital and county seats.

Figure 1

One of the main challenges was balancing label placement in crowded areas. To avoid cluttering water features, I placed city names outside the Florida boundary along the east coast and positioned the Okefenokee Swamp label outside the map boundaries for better legibility. Customizing symbols and adjusting font sizes were key to maintaining clarity and readability. While it wasn’t always easy to follow best practices due to spatial constraints, this task was invaluable in learning how to effectively communicate map information while maintaining a clean, informative design.

GIS 5007: Week 2 Comparative Analysis of Well-Designed and Poorly-Designed Maps

 

This week we learned about the significance cartographic design by evaluating two maps. The first map is a well-designed thematic map showcasing archaeological site density in Ireland, while the second is a reference map for attractions across the country.

Well-Designed Map

This thematic map is designed to display the density of archaeological sites across Ireland. Its purpose is clear, showing the concentration of monuments and sites in a way that’s easy to understand. The use of color, including a gradient scale from red (high density) to blue (low density), helps emphasize key data points effectively. The layout is clean and balanced, and the font choices ensure that labels and symbols are legible. Furthermore, the use of a heatmap and 3D spikes adds depth and makes the data stand out without overwhelming the viewer.

Map of Archaeology in Ireland (2014)

(Source: https://archaeologyireland.ie/2018/03/19/showing-the-archaeology-of-ireland-in-one-map/)

Poorly-Designed Map

This reference map, intended to guide tourists to points of historical, recreational, and cultural interest, suffers from design flaws. The map is cluttered with too many small, indistinguishable icons that overwhelm the viewer. The lack of color differentiation among icons makes it difficult to focus on any particular theme. Additionally, the map’s scale and legend are poorly designed, with the scale bar being too small to read and no clear explanation of what the various symbols represent.

Ireland Pictorial Map Travel Poster Irish Tourist Board (c.1956)

(Source: https://goldenageposters.com/products/ireland-showing-some-of-the-places-of-scenic-and-historic-interest?variant=20378432569447)

From critiquing these maps, it’s clear how essential good design is in map making and how the process of critique can improve my own map design choices. A well-designed map should not only convey data effectively but also create an enjoyable and intuitive user experience. In contrast, a poorly-designed map can overwhelm and confuse users, making the information harder to interpret. Clarity should always be the goal when designing a map. It’s not just about displaying all the information at once, but about communicating the purpose in the most effective way possible.

GIS 5007: Week 1 Orientation Story Map

Hello Visitor,

I'm April Holmes, a full-time Research Associate and Archaeologist at the University of West Florida's Archaeology Institute. I hold a B.A. and M.A. in Anthropology from UWF, specializing in terrestrial archaeology. While I took introductory GIS courses during my studies, I've since built on those skills in my career, using ESRI ArcMap and ArcGIS Pro for archaeological mapping. However, there's still more to learn, which is why I'm enrolled in a GIS Cartography course as part of UWF’s Graduate GIS certificate program.

For this week’s assignment, I created a Story Map Tour to introduce myself, using the cities I've lived in as a theme. It was my first time using ArcGIS Online (AGOL), and I learned a lot through experimentation, mistakes, and looking at other examples for inspiration. If you would like to go on the tour, visit April's Story Map.

Story Map Screenshot