Reference Maps

Course and Instructor: Foundations of Geography, Dr. Ezra Zeitler

Description: The purpose of this assignment was to continue to develop our skills in Adobe Illustrator and to consider placement and hierarchy of map elements. Along with sizing and placing map elements, we also were tasked with using color to emphasize and distinguish areas of the map.

Reflection: The main challenge of this exercise (for me) was the placement, sizing, and orientation of labels. To improve this map, I may challenge myself to explore varying label placement, such as more labels that are contoured to the shape of its region. 

Course and Instructor: Foundations of Geography, Dr. Ezra Zeitler

Description: For this assignment, we were asked to accurately map the hometowns of everyone in our class, focusing on the visual hierarchy, legibility, and scale/extent of the map. Additionally, this assignment allowed us to familiarize ourselves with map-making software/sites such as Datawrapper.

Reflection: My main takeaway from this assignment was learning how to maintain clarity throughout the map, such as placing labels in tight spaces and choosing appropriate symbols to represent data. Additionally, I learned more about color usage and creating contrast, which also creates clarity within the map. If I were to do this map again, I might continue to workshop the placement of labels in the large cluster and play around with call-out lines to increase clarity.