Lab 1: Map Critique

For our first lab, we chose two maps to analyze and critique: a well-designed map and a poorly designed map. We went through an evaluation for each map considering its purpose, intended use, cartographic design, map elements, and page layout. Then, we wrote thorough synopses on how the maps meet their intended purpose or not using Map Design Principles based on Tufeteisms from The Visual Display of Quantitative Information to support our analyses. 

Well-designed map

The design of this map meets its intended aims of communicating Census data on the largest ancestry groups in each county throughout the United States. One map design principle that this map demonstrates is Map Substantial Information. The map contains a well-designed presentation of interesting data, which is Tufteism number one from The Visual Display of Quantitative Information. The data on ancestry is remarkably interesting to most people which is why there are many well-known services that help people find information on their ancestors. Many people are interested in their own community culture and of those around them. The data here is presented in a well-designed and accessible manner due to its simple and efficient legend (one color corresponding to a majority ancestry group), its clear titles, and balanced map and elements alignment. A second map design principle this map exemplifies is Minimize Map Crap. There is no non-data text, images, or charts within the map. There is also no redundant or irrelevant communication in the map that is outside of the purpose of its presentation. The third map design principle shown in this map is Map Layout Matters. This map uses the shape of the US to layout other map elements. For example, inset maps are placed in Canada, Mexico, and the Atlantic Ocean. The legend is also to the right of the map in the Atlantic Ocean. On the left side of the map, the frame comes to the border of California which makes the page looked more balanced than if there was a large space of the Pacific Ocean. The sources are placed in the Gulf of Mexico which also a great use of the white space.

 Aesthetically, this map is extremely straightforward. Personally, most of the maps I have created thus far in my academic career have also been fairly simple. As time goes on and I gain more skills, I may want to branch out and make more visually complicated maps but my brain tends to gravitate towards minimal designs, especially when I’m working to comprehend data. The colors in this map are subtle and go well together. They are not super bright and straining on the eyes which makes it easier to view. The font is also readable and corresponds to the uncomplicated design of the map. 

Poorly designed map

The intended aim for this map is difficult to decipher without further context outside of the contents of the map itself. The name of the file is “off-campus housing UT” which indicates that this map is meant to share information about off-campus housing for students. This map is missing many map design principles. One map design principle that this map does not incorporate is Effectively Label Maps. The labels on this map are not clear or thorough, which is Tufteism number seven from The Visual Display of Quantitative Information. The street labels are blurry and cannot be read in this digital format. There is no label showing where the University of Tampa is located on the map. Not only is it missing important labels, its one existing label for an off-campus student housing option, Davis Island Apartments, is too large to understand its actual location. Tufteism number eight in this map design principle states that an explanation should be included on the graphic itself. There is no explanation of what this map intends to convey which creates ambiguity in its communication to its users. The second Map Design Principle that this map fails to meet is Don’t Lie with Maps, especially Tufteism number nine - show data variation, not design variation. The design variation is most apparent in the difference in typeface throughout the graphic. Each label on the map of significant places i.e. Tampa Airport, St. Pete, Mac Dill Airforce Base, Hillsborough Bay, are in different typeface, making it more difficult to read and therefore, compromising effective delivery of information. Also, the large yellow rectangle at the top with the label “University of Tampa” could be interpreted as the location of the campus rather than the title of the map.

To improve this map, I would first add all the essential map elements. For the legend, there could be different colored symbols with label of each student friendly off-campus housing option. It could also have display symbols, like the airplane for the air force base with its appropriate label of each significant location. I would also include a scale with 1-mile units and I would place it to the left or right of the MacDill Air Force Base label. And, I would include a north arrow to show the map’s orientation. Lastly, I would change the title to be more sufficiently descriptive because it does not indicate how UTampa relates to this map. A more suitable title would be Off-campus housing options for University of Tampa students.

 Another area for improvement is modifying the maps resolution so that all of the street names are visible and that all of the text is clear. For this map, this improvement could be as simple as exporting the map as an image and increasing the resolution in the settings. A third area of improvement is including more data on options for student friendly off-campus housing. Currently, there is only one option. To be more effective and worthwhile for viewers, there should be more options outside of Davis Island Apartments on this map. 

Thank you for reading my first blog post for Computer Cartography! I am excited to continue to explore my personal cartographic design aesthetic throughout the semester!