Typography

 In this lab we learned the importance typography and how important it is to the readability of a map and how it contributes to the overall map design. When focusing on the typography of a map, the map maker has to consider a few different elements; font, font size, line spacing, color, and label orientation. In the lecture and readings for this assignment, we were given pointers on how best to use typography to personalize our maps.

In this lab, we were tasked with creating a map of Florida and labeling a few of its major cities and waterways. To do this, I first had to learn the process of labeling point features on a map. In general, this process is simple enough in that all you have to do is select the data you want labeled (ie cities or rivers), go to the labeling tab and click the label button. You can also label the data by specific features as well. Something that, for me, will come in very handy in the future.

I made a few customizations to my map. The first being that I used a star for the capitol, Tallahassee, and made the font size a little bigger to emphasize the visual hierarchy between that city and the other cities. Another customization I used was a swamp graphic for The Everglades and Okefenokee Swamp because I thought the graphic was appropriate to highlight the two swamps on the map. A third customization I made was inserting a light grey base map so as to bring the map of Florida forward.