Cartography & Map Design

The map is correct. Now make it readable.

The cartography path, from visual hierarchy to a print-ready export. the map is correct — now make it readable1visual hierarchywhat is seen first2coloursequential or diverging3labelswhy they collide4layout & exportat print qualityHierarchy is first because every later decision is an application of it

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.

This path assumes the map is already correct. Everything in it is about the reader: what they look at first, what the colours imply, whether the labels can be read, and whether the finished file survives being printed. It pairs with the mapping path, which is about producing the figure in the first place.

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

The concepts underneath the work, then each task, then the errors that task produces. Work down, or jump to the step you need.

  1. Colour on Maps Explained: Sequential, Diverging and Qualitative map colour schemes 🧭 Concept
  2. How to Choose and Test a Colour Ramp in Python colour ramp python map ⚙️ How-To
  3. How to Check a Map for Colour-Blind Readers colour blind map check ⚙️ How-To
  4. Labelling Explained: Why Automatic Map Labels Collide map labelling explained 🧭 Concept
  5. How to Label Map Features Without Overlaps in Matplotlib label map features python ⚙️ How-To
  6. Which Map Elements Are Actually Required map elements required 🧭 Concept
  7. How to Add a Scale Bar and North Arrow to a Python Map scale bar north arrow python ⚙️ How-To
  8. Map Scale Explained: How Much Detail a Scale Can Hold map scale detail 🧭 Concept
  9. How to Build a Print-Ready Map Layout in Matplotlib print map layout matplotlib ⚙️ How-To
  10. How to Export a Map at Print Quality: DPI, Vector and Fonts export map print quality ⚙️ How-To
  11. How to Add an Inset and Locator Map in Python inset locator map python ⚙️ How-To
  12. Accessible Maps Explained: Contrast, Text and Alternatives accessible maps 🧭 Concept
  13. How to Make a Map Series with Consistent Symbology map series consistent symbology ⚙️ How-To
  14. How to Build a Reusable Map Style Module reusable map style python ⚙️ How-To
  15. Fixing Map Labels That Overlap or Get Clipped map labels overlap 🔧 Fix
  16. Fixing Map Text That Is Too Small in the Exported File map text too small export 🔧 Fix
  17. Fixing Missing or Substituted Fonts in an Exported Map PDF map pdf fonts missing 🔧 Fix
  18. Fixing a Map Export That Is Hundreds of Megabytes map export file too large 🔧 Fix
  19. 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.

Cartography & map design Maps & visualisation Geometry & topology Batch processing Pipelines & automation Files & formats

Other ways in

📚 All learning paths 🗂️ All topics ⚙️ How-To guides 🔧 Fixes