Cartography & Map Design
The map is correct. Now make it readable.
Everything up to this point decides whether a map is right; cartography decides whether anyone can read it. These guides cover the choices that carry the meaning — what the eye reaches first, which colour scheme the data actually supports, where labels can go without colliding, what a scale bar is for and when it is a lie — and end with the export: the DPI, fonts and file sizes that decide whether the figure survives the trip into a report.
Start here
The cornerstone guide — the whole workflow end to end. Everything after it goes deeper into one part of it.
Step 1 Visual Hierarchy Explained: What a Map Reader Sees First map visual hierarchy Begin the path →The full path, in order
20 guides: the concepts underneath the work, then each task, then the errors that task produces. Work down, or jump to the step you need.
- Colour on Maps Explained: Sequential, Diverging and Qualitative map colour schemes 🧭 Concept
- How to Choose and Test a Colour Ramp in Python colour ramp python map ⚙️ How-To
- How to Check a Map for Colour-Blind Readers colour blind map check ⚙️ How-To
- Labelling Explained: Why Automatic Map Labels Collide map labelling explained 🧭 Concept
- How to Label Map Features Without Overlaps in Matplotlib label map features python ⚙️ How-To
- Which Map Elements Are Actually Required map elements required 🧭 Concept
- How to Add a Scale Bar and North Arrow to a Python Map scale bar north arrow python ⚙️ How-To
- Map Scale Explained: How Much Detail a Scale Can Hold map scale detail 🧭 Concept
- How to Build a Print-Ready Map Layout in Matplotlib print map layout matplotlib ⚙️ How-To
- How to Export a Map at Print Quality: DPI, Vector and Fonts export map print quality ⚙️ How-To
- How to Add an Inset and Locator Map in Python inset locator map python ⚙️ How-To
- Accessible Maps Explained: Contrast, Text and Alternatives accessible maps 🧭 Concept
- How to Make a Map Series with Consistent Symbology map series consistent symbology ⚙️ How-To
- How to Build a Reusable Map Style Module reusable map style python ⚙️ How-To
- Fixing Map Labels That Overlap or Get Clipped map labels overlap 🔧 Fix
- Fixing Map Text That Is Too Small in the Exported File map text too small export 🔧 Fix
- Fixing Missing or Substituted Fonts in an Exported Map PDF map pdf fonts missing 🔧 Fix
- Fixing a Map Export That Is Hundreds of Megabytes map export file too large 🔧 Fix
- Fixing Map Colours That Change Between Screen and Print map colours print differ 🔧 Fix
Topics this path covers
A path is a route; a topic is everything the site has on a subject. Open a topic to see the guides this path skips.