Basic principles of cartographic design

1. Basic principles of cartographic design
Makram Murad-al-shaikh
M.S. Cartography
Esri education delivery team

2. Cartographic concepts
• Cartography defined
• The communication channel
- Why maps fail
• Objectives & limitations affecting design
• Cartographic design issues
• Abuse of GIS cartography

3. What is cartography?
Use
Art Science Technology
Making maps
Presentation

4. How do I communicate through maps?
The geographic
environment Compile Recognize
Select
Classify
Simplify
Symbolize
Read
Analyze
Interpret
Imagine
Map
Map
Cartographer
Reality
Reality?
Map user

5. What is cartographic design?
Beauty is NOT the MAIN objective
Complex task
(unlimited options)
Highly creative
mental activity
Use concepts of
communication
Think in
visual terms
Useful map

6. What are my cartographic objectives?
• The WHY?
• The HOW?
Map
objectives
• Convey information
• Highlight spatial relationships
• Illustrate analysis results
• Easier comprehension of complex events
Design
objectives
• Fulfill map objectives
• Assign meaningful symbology
• Ensure truthful depiction of reality
• Fulfill communication objectives

7. What are my communication objectives?
Population
Soils
Focused information
Importance can vary
Symbols can dominate
Variety of information
Equal importance
Subtle symbology
General map
Thematic map
Qualitative Quantitative

8. Which projection should I use?
• More than 4000
• No perfect projection
• All have distortions
Cylindrical
Conical
Azimuthal
Direction
Distance
Shape
Area

9. How much detail should I include?
Displace?
Aggregate?
Omit?
Simplify?
Collapse?
Typify?
Exaggerate?
Classify?
Refine?
C
E
B
C2
C3 E1
B1
E5
C5
B4

10. What symbol characteristics should I use?
Color
Shape
Texture / Pattern
Graytone value
Size
Qualitative
Quantitative

11. What colors should I use?
• Connotations
• Conventions
• Preferences
• For screen or paper
R G B Y
Hue
20 30 50 85%
Value
100 70 40 10%
Saturation
Dimensions

12. Does the eye have limitations?
Maximum 12 colors
Maximum 7 – 8 shades

13. What about the color-impaired?
• Avoid pure green / red
• Vary shapes, textures
• Use brightness contrast (not more colors) Normal eye
Red defective
Green defective
Blue defective

14. Can I used special effects?
Texture
vibration
Orientation exerts direction
Optical
illusions

15. When do I use patters?
• Only for areas
• Qualitative symbology
• Consider effects of reduction

16. How legible are my symbols?
• Size of symbol
• Distance of viewing
• Perfect vision?

17. How do I create visual contrast / hierarchy?
Differentiation
Relative importance

18. How do I contrast text on maps?
• Legibility issues
- Text color vs background color
- Uppercase vs lowercase
- No fancy fonts
Form
Tigris
Orlando
Color
Baghdad
Basra
Style
Qualitative
River
RIVER
River
Size
Redlands
San Diego
Value
Color
River
RIVER
River
Form
Quantitative
Tigris
Orlando
Redlands
San Diego
Best
Avoid

19. Where do I place names at POINTS?
• Readability issues
Makramville
Jackville
Marinaville
Lauraville
Majdville
Shirleyville
1 2
3 4
5 6
5
3 1
6
0
0
2
4
Maplex

20. Where do I place names along LINES?
• Ambiguity issues
Maplex
?
?

21. How do I label contours?
• Faster reading issues
Maplex

22. What angles are suitable for names?
• Convenience issues
Text
Text
Text
Text
Text

23. What map elements should I place on my map?
Designed by Makram 2014
• Projection?
• Source?
• Date of data?

24. What is visual balance?
• Layout of map elements
• Visual center
• Visual weight
- Size, value, brilliance, close to edge
• What about gaps?
x
h
(5%) h
Visual
Geometric

25. Which of these maps is more visually balanced? TEST 1
A
2
1
C
B

26. Which of these maps is more visually balanced? TEST 2
A B

27. Which of these maps is more visually balanced? TEST 3
A B

28. Is North correct everywhere?
N
N
Mollweide projection

29. What about my scale?
Are these
dog houses?
Must be visually
easy to read
Is it correct? Is it easy to use?

30. What about my legend?
Necessary?
Decimals?

31. What about maps for publishing in ArcGIS Online?
• Cartography vs performance
• Avoid
- Advanced Drawing Options in ArcMap
- Multiple layer symbols
- Picture symbols
- Dash line patterns, splining, and offsets
- Dot density fills
- Text halo masks and text fill patterns
- Complex SQL statements for text
• OR publish the map as a cached map service

32. Always
Think
of the
?
?
?
User

33. Questions?

34. Where can I read more about cartographic design?
Brewer, Cynthia A. Designing Better Maps – A Guide for GIS Users, Esri Press, 2005,
ISBN 1-58948-089-9
Brewer, Cynthia A. Designed Maps — A Sourcebook for GIS Users, Esri Press, 2008,
ISBN 1-58948-160-7
Imhof, Eduard. “Positioning Names on Maps”, The American Cartographer,
Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 128-144, 1975.
Kachel, Bill O'Sullivan. “Cartographic Design Using ARC/INFO” poster, Esri Users Conference, 1995.
Monmonier, Mark. How to Lie with Maps, The University of Chicago Press, 2nd ed., 1996.
ISBN 0-226-53420-0
Murad-al-shaikh, Makram, Cartography with ArcGIS course manuals, EsrI, Inc. Course
version 2.1, May 2007.
Okabe, Masataka and Kei Ito. How to make figures and presentations that are friendly to color blind
people, Aug. 2002.
Robinson, Arthur H et al. Elements of Cartography, 6th ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1995.
ISBN 0-471-55579-7