Arba Minch University

Arba Minch Institute of Technology

Civil Engineering faculty
Surveying Engineering program
Course Introduction to Cartography

Target group: G 3 Surveying Engineering

Chapter 5: Map design and layout

Contents
• Map design
• Map Design Processes
• Map Design Considerations
• Issues to Consider at beginning of map Design
• Prerequisites of Map Design
• Principles of map design
• Map Design Ethnics
• Map annotation
• Cartographic coloring
• Cartographic symbolization standard
• Marginal Information
• Grid Lines
• Map layout design
Map design
• What is a Good Map?
• Map design is not concerned with the detail in a map; that
part is supposed to be handled by the other data collection
processes.
• Map design intends to use this detail to create maps that
look beautiful.
Map design

• Design relates to appearance, effectiveness in information

communication.
• The Rules of Cartographic Design can be taught and learnt,
principles and concepts have to be acquired.
• Aesthetic issues certainly play a role in-effective
cartography, however, it is the issue of communication that
holds the central role in cartographic design.
Map Design Processes
• The map design process consists:
• Classification (grouping similar features) to
reduce complexity and organize information
• Simplification
• Symbolization

• However, there are basic steps involved

in communicating geographic information
• Design process encompasses the entire
model, but is most concentrated in Step 4
Map Design Considerations
• The following issues should be considered during map design:
a) Choose a map projection
b) Color and tone
c) Use an appropriate font for lettering
d) Use texture to enhance color and feel
e) Shape of the map and features on the map matter
f) Establish basic information with title or cartouche (pictogram)
g) Indicate direction with a north arrow, compass rose, or border labels
h) Provide well understood symbols for natural features
i) Create informative symbols for man-made features
j) Add additional views or information with insets
k) Orientation
Issues to Consider at beginning of map Design

i. What is the motive, intent, or goal of the map?

ii. Who will read the map?
iii. Where will the map be used?
iv. What data is available for the composition of the map?
v. What resources are available in terms of both time and
equipment?
Prerequisites of Map Design

• In order to produce a good map design, there are certain

imperative concepts with which one needs to be familiar:
• Types of maps (General/reference maps and thematic maps)
• Scale (the choice of scale: large, medium or small scale)
• Map Projections (needs to select a relevant projection)
Principles of map design

• Five Principles of Map Design:

• Concept before Compilation
• Hierarchy with Harmony
• Simplicity from Sacrifice
• Maximum Information at Minimum Cost (after Ziff)
• Engage the Emotion to Engage the Understanding
Principles of map design
• Concept before Compilation
• Without a grasp of concept, the whole of the design process is
invalid.
• Once concept is understood, no design or content feature will be
included which does not fit it.
• Design the whole before the part.
• Design comes in two stages, concept and parameters, and detail
in execution.
• Design once, revise, design again.
• What does the user want from this map? What can the user get
from this map? Is that what they want? If a map were a building,
it shouldn’t fall over.
Principles of map design
• Hierarchy with Harmony
• Important things must look important, and the most important
thing should look the most important.
• A ranking of symbols and map elements according to their
relative importance.
• Lesser things have their place and should serve to complement
the important.
• From the whole to the part, and all the parts, contributing to the
whole.
• Associated items must have associated treatment.
• Harmony is to do with the whole map being happy with itself.
Principles of map design
• Hierarchy with Harmony
• The following is a general hierarchy for thematic maps:
Principles of map design

• Simplicity from generalization

• Great design tends towards simplicity.
• Its not what you put in that makes a great map but what you
take out.
• Running the film of an explosion backwards, all possibilities
rush to one point.
• Content may determine scale or scale may determine
content, and each determines the level of generalization
(sacrifice).
Principles of map design
• Simplicity from generalization
Principles of map design

• Maximum Information at Minimum Cost

• How much information can be gained from this map, at a
glance (look).
• Functionality not utility however, design makes utility
functional.
• The spark which makes a map special often only comes
when the map is complete.
Principles of map design
• Engage the Emotion to Engage the Understanding
• Design with emotion to engage the emotion.
• Only by feeling what the user feels can we see what the user sees.
• Good designers use Cartographic fictions, Cartographic impressions,
Cartographic illusions to make a map.
• The image is the message.
• Good design is a result of the tension between the environment (the facts)
and the designer.
• Only when the reader engages the emotion, the desire, will they be receptive
to the map’s message.
• Design uses aesthetics but the principles of aesthetics are not those of design.
• We are not just prettying maps up.
• The philosophy is simple, beauty (aesthetics) focuses the attention.
• Focusing the attention is the purpose of map design!
Map Design Ethnics
• Represented with C-R-A-P is the acronym used by Robin
Williams.
• The letters stand for Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, and
Proximity.
• Contrast: Visual differences between map features that allow us
to distinguish one from another i.e. to avoid similarity.
• Making clear distinctions of features for:
• Colors including tone and saturation.
• Symbols and what they represent.
• Lettering including font style, weight, color, and size.
Map Design Ethnics

• Repetition: Repeating themes, colors, shapes, textures,

lettering, or other map objects gives the map an overall
feeling of completeness and professionalism.
• Alignment: Visual connections between map elements are
reinforced by aligning edges and also provides visual
organization that is pleasing to readers.
• Proximity: Related items should be placed together to
create grouped elements.
• This logical grouping helps organize map objects and provides
structure to the map
Map annotation
• Annotation can be used to describe particular features or add general
information to the map.
• Accurate interpretation of a map is dependent upon the annotation
placed.
• Text Features Placement
• Generally ensure sufficient contrast between the type and the background.
• Writing positioned vertically on the map should read from the lower edge to the
upper edge
• Text, which at any angle than vertical should read from, left to right.
• Avoid placing text at an angle of 45°.
• Text crossed by the boundary lines is unacceptable.
• Avoid spacing texts out too much, space between should not exceed twice the
height of the letters
• Don’t allow line features to interrupt a text
Cartographic coloring

• In the map making process, there are standardized color

conventions in the representation of various categories of
geographic features as follows:
• Black indicates cultural or man-made features such as
buildings, railroads, and roads.
• Red and brown combinations identify cultural features
(such as roads), relief features, and contour lines on red-light
readable maps.
• Blue identifies water: lakes, swamps, rivers, and coastal
waters.
Cartographic coloring

• Green identifies vegetation such as woods, orchards

(plantation) & etc.
• Brown identifies cultivated land on red-light readable
maps. On older maps, brown represents relief features and
elevation such as contours.
• Red was used on older maps to mark populated areas,
main roads, and boundaries.
• Other colors may show special information which you
should countercheck in the map legend
Cartographic coloring
• The primary function of color is to make information on a
map visually distinguishable.
• Color Composite: there are primary colors (red, green and
blue) and subtractive colors (cyan, Yellow, magenta and
black) .
• Primary colors are sets of colors that can be combined to make a
useful range of colors and those which cannot be created by
mixing other colors in a given color space.
• When these three colors are combined in various
proportions, they produce different colors in the visible
spectrum.
Cartographic coloring
Primary colors (additive Subtractive colors (subtractive
primaries): primaries):
• Red (R) • Cyan (C)
• Green (G) • Yellow (Y)
• Blue (B) • Magenta (M)
• Black (K)
Cartographic coloring
• Harmony: ‘Harmony’ means ‘joint, articulation, agreement,
concord’.
• In cartography: ‘harmony is the art of how to bind a variety of colors
in a “good” equilibrium of threshold contrasts (intrinsic and
spatial), giving a sense of understanding particularly subjective’.
• HVS: hue, saturation, value (HSV) color system is similar to
RGB in that you specify a set of three numbers for each color.
• Hue (color) is a number between one and 360,
• the saturation (amount of gray in the hue) is a number between one
and 100, and
• value (amount of white in the hue) is a number between one and
100.
Cartographic coloring
• For the saturation, the number represents a percentage of
pure color where 100 is 100 percent pure color and zero
percent is gray.
• For the value, the number represents a percentage of
brightness where 100 is 100 percent white and zero percent
is black.
Cartographic coloring
• Hue: dominant wavelength
(i.e., color)
• Hue: is generally used to
indicate qualitative (nominal)
differences across the map area.
• Value: how light or dark a
given hue is
• Saturation: purity of hue
(range of reflected
wavelengths)
• Value and saturation: are
typically used to represent
quantitative (ordinal, interval,
or ratio) differences across the
map area
Cartographic coloring
• Qualitative data: primarily
by differences in hue, then
by saturation and value.
• Quantitative data: similar
in hue (color ramp) and
varied in values and
saturation within the hue
creates a graded series
from light to dark showing
the difference.
Cartographic symbolization standard
• These are some general rules for map symbols:
• Point Symbols
• If possible, place the names of point features such as
• wells (springs) to the right of the symbol.
• Text should be placed so that the symbol being annotated does not
obscure the lettering.
• Line Symbol
• Do not make river names closely follow the curvature of the river, but
align them along simple curves.
• Keep the words of a long description close together, so that the
sense is not lost.
• Area Symbols
• Try to shade polygons related to its nature or universally
accepted color (e.g. lake)
Marginal Information
• Marginal information are the peripheral information on the edge
of the map that provides useful information about the map to the
map user.
• The following cartographic elements should appear on all maps
in order to facilitate functionality:
• Map Title • Sheet name and number
• Orientation (North Arrow) • Magnetic declination diagram
• Scale Bar • Adjoining sheet diagram
• Scale Note • Map notes
• Neat line • Contour interval notes
• Legend • Credit Note.
• Inset map • Projection
• Grid (Coordinate) • Date
• Disclaimer • Logo
Marginal Information
• Sheet name and number: The sheet name and number
provide the title and reference number for the map.
• Maps usually take their sheet names from the largest settlement
or natural feature on the map or the place name of the area
covered by the map.
• The sheet number is in bold print in the upper right and lower
left areas of the map margin.

• Map notes: contain information on the references used in

map compilation, geographic data sources used, coordinate
systems definitions etc.
Marginal Information
• Adjoining sheet diagram: tells you the sheet numbers of
the adjoining sheets.
• The adjoining sheet diagram show the geographic context of
your map in respect of other maps covering the neighboring
areas outside the extents of your map
Grid Lines
• A series of straight lines intersecting at right angles forming
squares.
• Horizontal grid lines run grid west to grid east.
• Vertical grid lines run grid south to grid north.
• BASIC RULE: Read right on the vertical lines, then up on
the horizontal grid lines.
Grid Coordinate
• A grid square’s coordinates are found by combining the values of the
vertical and horizontal grid lines that intersect at the lower left hand
corner of the grid.
• A 4-digit grid coordinate
• A 6-digit grid coordinate
• A 8-digit grid coordinate
Map layout design

• A layout is a collection of map elements laid out and

organized on a page.
• Common map elements include one or more data frames
each containing an ordered set of map layers, a scale bar,
north arrow, map title, descriptive text, and a legend.
• Layout view is where you add map surrounds, frames,
graticules, and other finishing touches to a map.
• What you see on the layout is what you get if you print or
export the map to the same page size.
Map layout design

• Before designing the layout, you should setup the printer

properties. If you are printing the map from ArcGIS
software then make sure check the “Use Printer Paper
Settings”.

• First create the Layout that will contain your map, legend,
title and then other marginal information.
Map layout design
Map layout design
Map layout (example for layout template)
 END!
Thank you!