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We will review chapters 6 (The Big Picture of Map Design) and 7 (The Inner Workings of Map Design) from the Making Maps book. Additional information and examples can be gleaned from the material below.

• Making Maps Ch 6. The Big Picture of Map Design

  
  

• Making Maps Ch 7. The Inner Workings of Map Design

  
  

  • PROP) Voyager Map
    • design principles applied

Introduction

Map symbolization: in essence, choosing visual marks to effectively represent the points, lines, and area data of our base maps and thematic data

The Visual Variables

Appropriate use of Visual Variables

Today: visual hierarchy, 'marginal' map information, and editing

1. Visual Hierarchy and Map Design

Importance of understanding a map's purpose prior to making the map

Map purpose drives

• the selection of base map data (scale, detail, projection)

• the selection of thematic data

It also drives the design of the map

• one way it does this is by suggesting an intellectual hierarchy for the map

• and the intellectual hierarchy determines the map's visual hierarchy

A map's intellectual hierarchy: given the purpose and content of the map

• what are its elements, and what is their relative importance?

PROP) Voyager Map

• how intellectual hierarchy and visual hierarchy are related

Once you make decisions about the intellectual hierarchy you need to choose a visual hierarchy that adequately represents the intellectual hierarchy

Visual hierarchy adds 'depth' to a flat paper or on-screen map (above).

Failed visual hierarchy (left) limits the map's ability to effectively communicate

• cannot see what is most important

• cannot differentiate different types of data on the map

"Public speakers arrange their material to emphasize certain remarks and subordinate others. Professional photographers often focus the camera to provide precise detail in certain parts of the picture and leave the remainder somewhat blurred. Advertising artists organize ads to accentuate some spaces and play down others. Choreographers arrange the dancers so that some will stand out from the rest on the stage. Professional cartographers must go through similar activities in designing the map." (B. Dent)

Customary Positions of Map Elements in the Hierarchy: higher in intellectual and visual hierarchy towards top of list, lower in intellectual and visual hierarchy towards bottom of list. Given a particular map purpose, these may shift in the intellectual and, thus, visual hierarchy:

• Thematic Symbols
  
• Title, legend, map labels
  
• Base map, land areas, boundaries
  
• Legend and other explanatory details (eg., map projection type)
  
• Base map, water features
  
• Misc grids, scales, etc.

Lab Project: Intellectual and Visual hierarchy of your maps and WWW pages

Map elements that are intellectually important should be made to be visually dominant on the map: how do you do that?

1a. Figure Ground Defined

If we understand how people perceive visual hierarchies, we can use that information to guide the design of the visual hierarchy of a map

Figure ground phenomena

• primitive form of perceptual organization

• we see objects having form as segregated from their surroundings which are formless

• objects that stand out against their backgrounds are called figures in perception, and their formless backgrounds are grounds

• the segregation of the visual field into figures and grounds is a kind of automatic perceptual mechanism; we don't have to "try" and see figures and grounds: it just happens

• figure ground will fail if a visual scene is too homogeneous

Figure ground on maps will fail if the map is too visually homogeneous

We have to do something on maps to set off that 'automatic perceptual mechanism and to make sure that the figure ground we achieve represents the intellectual hierarchy of the map.

When we achieve figures on maps, they are seen as separate from the rest of the map, have form and shape, appear to be closer to the viewer than the ground, have more noticable color (or value), and are associated with meaning

We can manipulate figure ground to communicate what is most important in the map display, and to organize what the viewer sees to reflect the relative importance of the material on the map.

Next: look at some means of enhancing figure ground on maps (or any visual display)

1b. Achieving Visual Hierarchy using Figure Ground

HANDOUT) Figure Ground Examples

• Visual elements we can manipulate to enhance figure ground

1. heterogeneity: noticeable visual differences tend to separate figure from ground

2. articulation: figure has more detail than ground

3. shape: figure has shape

4. contour: objects with sharp, well defined edges tend to form a figure

sharp edges produce good figure, weak edges produce figural dominance

5. closure: closed objects tend to form a figure

closure refers to the tendency for the perceiver to complete unfinished objects

6. common fate: objects moving in the same direction tend to form a figure

7. interposition: continuance behind a figure

8. value: darker areas tend to be figure

9. proximity: objects close together tend to form a figure

10. simplicity: simple objects tend to form a figure

11. similarity: of shape, size, and value tend to form a figure

grouping by similar shape and size symbols

12. direction: objects with the same orientation tend to form a figure

13. color: higher color intensities tend to be figure

Highly contrasting hues (yellow-black, white-blue) produce best figure ground with smaller areas standing out as figure
complementary hues (red-green, blue-orange) create ambiguous figure ground
longer wavelength colors (red) stand out more than shorter (blue)

14. texture: coarse textured areas tend to be figure

15. familiarity: familiar shapes tend to be figure

16. shadow: objects which have a shadow tend to be figure

PROP) Voyager Map

• intellectual vs visual hierarchy

Sum: various techniques for using figure-ground phenomena to enhance the visual hierarchy of your map

• matching the intellectual hierarchy to a visual hierarchy

• make the map easier to use and read

2. 'Marginal' Information and Editing

2a. Marginal Information

The stuff that appears around the margins of a map

Titles and labels: establish geographic, topical, and temporal context

• keep it concise

• Ethnic Groups in Columbus OH, 1900-1960

• El Nino and its effects in North America, 1999

Legends

• the key to understanding symbols on the map

• include any map symbols that are not self evident

If mapping statistical information, you may want to include a graph of the data range, standard deviations, etc. - if relevant to the material being mapped

Don't have to put "key" or "legend": waste of space

Base map and thematic data source information

• give full citation of all data sources used; date; other relevant information

• if data was collected at one time and published at another, note both dates

• if data was from an individual (unpublished) note their name and date

Note all relevant information about base map: source, scale, orientation

• include the map projection (maybe at the bottom of the legend)

• in some cases scale and orientation can be left off map

When to use north arrow

• unusual orientations (east up)

• when direction is not obvious (for more detailed, large scale maps)

• when direction is important (map of prevailing winds)

2b. Editing and Blunders

ACSM Map


edit your map for obvious blunders and mistakes
Deliberate Blunders: traps for copyright infringement (streets, towns)

Conclusions

Map symbolization: choosing visual marks to effectively represent the points, lines, and area data of our base maps and thematic data

Fundamental aspect of map symbolization: effective representation of intellectual hierarchy with a visual hierarchy and basic techniques for doing that

E-mail: jbkrygier@owu.edu

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