Cartographer Musings
Here are some things Iāve learned along the way, being in a fast-paced academic GIS & cartography environment:
Donāt take it personally if you make 5 maps and only 1 gets used in the final product. Be glad the 1 got used.
Sometimes a map is a conversation starter. They may see the beautiful map you designed and then wonder what itād look like with a different measure added on top. Take it as a compliment, and then remember to try those things yourself next time.
Always be ready to explain why you did what you did. Halo behind the county labels in blueāWhy? Data classified into equal intervals and not natural breaksāWhy?
Making a couple of slightly differing versions of a map is always good if you have the time. Maybe one map classifies the data around the mean with a divergent color scheme, and another classifies into natural breaks in a blue gradient. Perhaps neither is wrong, but it will prompt others to think about the message and help them make a better product as well.
If the software youāre using has a spellchecker tool, use it.
The less you can do manually, the less room there is for error.
Print our your map, export it in a few formats to see if there are any deviations in the process from how it looks on your screen.
