What is map design in cartography?

What is map design?

Cartographic design or map design is the process of crafting the appearance of a map, applying the principles of design and knowledge of how maps are used to create a map that has both aesthetic appeal and practical function.

What are the principles of map design?

Five of the main design principles are legibility, visual contrast, figure-ground organization, hierarchical organization, and balance. Together these principles form a system for seeing and understanding the relative importance of the content in the map and on the page.

What is map cartography?

map, graphic representation, drawn to scale and usually on a flat surface, of features—for example, geographical, geological, or geopolitical—of an area of the Earth or of any other celestial body. Globes are maps represented on the surface of a sphere. Cartography is the art and science of making maps and charts.

What is the importance of map design?

Map design is important. It involves the planning of graphic characteristics of maps including the selection of appropriate symbols, their size and form, colour, legend, etc.

What should a map include?

Most maps contain the same common elements: main body, legend, title, scale and orientation indicators, inset map, and source notes. Not all are necessary or appropriate for every map, but all appear frequently enough that they’re worth covering.

Why is map design important in GIS?

Map symbology



The quality of a map’s design affects its reader’s ability to extract information and to learn from the map. Cartographic symbology has been developed in an effort to portray the world accurately and effectively convey information to the map reader.

How do you make a map design?

How to design an illustrated map in 8 simple steps

1. Decide on a few landmarks to include. …
2. Use your real map as a reference. …
3. Choose a relevant color scheme. …
4. Draw the major roads. …
5. Add icons and landmarks. …
6. Include food and people. …
7. Harmonize the composition. …
8. Final touches.

How do you make a good map design?

Quote from video:Great try to use a layout that would work in the real world doing a forest themed level. Awesome try to use the natural structures. That you observed in the real world.

What makes a good map geography?

Most maps should have a clear and concise title, a notation on the scale (or if the map is not to scale), and, when needed for orientation, a north arrow. Some cartographers may disagree with the need to always include the north arrow and scale bars.

What are the characteristics of map?

Characteristics of Maps:

• A map is much smaller than the earth that it represents. Altitudes, Longitudes and Scales are very essential to draw maps. …
• Every map should have a bold title on the top. …
• Index or legend is necessary for every map. …
• Maps are shaded with different colours also.

What are the 5 features of a map?

Maps contain lots of information. Most maps will have the five following things: a Title, a Legend, a Grid, a Compass Rose to indicate direction, and a Scale. The Title tells you what is being represented on the map (i.e. Austin, Tx).

What is map and its types?

Different Types of Maps



There are two main types of maps – political maps and physical maps. Physical maps show the shape of the land – hills, lakes, forests, the coast and so on. Political maps show how the land is used by people – counties, provinces, countries, town boundaries, etc.

What are the functions of a map?

Maps serve two map functions; they are a spatial database and a communication device. The science of making maps is called cartography. Basic map characteristics tell the reader where an object is (location) and what the object is (its attributes).

What are the 3 components of a map?

There are three Components of Maps – distance, direction and symbol.

What are the 7 elements of a map?

Elements of a Map

• Data Frame. The data frame is the portion of the map that displays the data layers. …
• Map Legend. The legend serves as the decoder for the symbology in the data frame. …
• Map Title. …
• North Arrow. …
• Map Scale. …
• Map Citation.

What are the 4 main parts of a map?

What Are The Four Parts Of A Map?

• Title. tells you what the map is about.
• Map Key/Legend. explains the lines symbols, and colors used on a map.
• Scale Bar. a measuring line that help you find distance on the map.
• Compass Rose. tells you where the north, south, east, and west are on a map.

What are the 7 parts of a map?

What are the 7 elements of a map?

• Title. Element #1.
• Border. Element #2.
• Legend or Key. Element #3.
• Scale. Element #4.
• Directions. Element #5.
• Location of Area. Element #6.
• Symbols. Element #7.

What are the 9 elements of a map?

Map elements are the title, map body, map border, legend, scale, north arrow and the acknowledgement. Scale represents the ratio of a distance on the map to the actual distance in the real world. Scale is displayed in map units (meters, feet or degrees) A legend explains all the symbols on a map.

What is map scale?

Map scale refers to the relationship (or ratio) between distance on a map and the corresponding distance on the ground. For example, on a 1:100000 scale map, 1cm on the map equals 1km on the ground.

How many types of map are there?

According to the ICSM (Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying and Mapping), there are five different types of maps: General Reference, Topographical, Thematic, Navigation Charts and Cadastral Maps and Plans.

What is a map title?

Map title is an element in a Map layout that describes the theme or subject of a map. The map title should instantly give the viewer a good idea of what the map is depicting.

Where is the map key?

A map key, also known as a legend, is normally located at the bottom of the map on the left or right. Legends are important because they help readers understand what certain symbols, colors, and lines represent on maps.

What is a map answer?

A map is a visual representation of an entire area or a part of an area, typically represented on a flat surface. The work of a map is to illustrate specific and detailed features of a particular area, most frequently used to illustrate geography.

What do symbols represent on a map?

A symbol is an abstraction or pictorial representation of something else. Symbols on a map consist of discrete points, lines, or shaded areas; they have size, form, and (usually) color. Map symbols present information collectively, leading to appreciation of form, relative position, distribution, and structure.