Reference Map

Reference Map

"The purpose of this activity is to increase familiarity with Adobe Illustrator CC and applying the five essentials of map design (figure-ground, legibility, clarity, balance, visual hierarchy) by producing a reference map of South America that showcases typical map design elements of a reference map (title, legend, scale, data information, graticule, neat line, labels, etc.). " 

For this exercise, there were multiple elements which had to be adjusted in accordance with the 5 map essentials. The reference map included country borders/names, major cities and topological features, as well as major water bodies. These all had to styled and positioned in such a way as to make the map visually pleasing, while also maintaining the correct visual hierarchy. 

To start, I began by increasing the transparency of the map image itself, in an effort to make the labels stand out more. For each feature, I tried as much as space would allow to size and align it to fit best with the element it represented (i.e. river labels aligned along the river's path, country names being large and centrally located, etc.) Then, I tried out different color combinations to try and make the label groups stand out from each other and the background. Object effects such as shadow and halo were used to aid with this. Different font types, sizes, and spacing were used to emphasize the importance of certain features. 

 This exercise was very useful in helping me understand the five essentials of map design, with figure ground and visual hierarchy being especially important. The balance between the labels and map image was a delicate one, but I think adequately managed on this map. Visual hierarchy was a bit more difficult to maintain with the sheer number of features, but was made easier with the use of font coloring and sizing. 

Further changes:

- While most features are well aligned, some could use some additional work. 

- The color of city labels could probably be changed to a more fitting color.