Module 1 - Map Design & Typography

     This introductory module emphasized the importance of proper symbology, typography and general map design. We were tasked to design a tourism map for the City of Austin showing the location of rec centers, golf courses and the county's water bodies.

      To ensure visual contrast, I used lighter colors for the least important features, such as the base map and the county layer, and applied more vibrant, contrasting colors to the other layers. For legibility, I selected feature sizes and outline point values appropriate for the map's scale, otherwise labels were not present on the map frame. Figure-ground organization was achieved by making first-class major roads thicker than the second-class roads and by emphasizing rec center points with thicker outlines, so they can stand out against the county layer. The map elements are sized hierarchically, with the map frame and title as the largest elements, followed by the legend, scale bar and credits, and the north arrow as the smallest element, which reflects its supporting role. Lastly, balance was maintained by organizing elements below the map frame to minimize white space as much as possible.