We geographers can dig pretty deep in the weeds of data collection and analysis, reveling in the fun of precision, process, statistics, even visualization. But when it comes to crafting the geographic message in the form of a map layout, sometimes we can feel a little overwhelmed. Out of place? I know I’ve been there. … Continue reading ArcGIS Pro Layout Redesign volume 2
I’ll be visiting Oslo Norway this May for a one-day cartographic workshop! Hope to see you there my Nordic map friends! Learn more about the workshop, here: https://www.geodata.no/kurs/kurs/gleden-ved-a-lage-kart Love, John Continue reading Cartography Workshop: 5 May 2026, Oslo Norway
Join Peter Atwood and me as we nerd out on maps in movies (and TV) in an “experts review” (I use that term loosely and reluctantly in my case) bonanza. We chat about what cinematic cartography gets right, what they might get wrong, and what we like about it all. 0:00 Intro0:27 Indiana Jones (check … Continue reading Expert Reviews MAPS in MOVIES
We in Michigan have been using our hand as the world’s most convenient cartographic resource since 1837. It gets a little gnarly when you include the Upper Peninsula, but that’s ok it still gets the job done. I’m an advocate of hand reference cartography for gesticulating your hometown to anyone remotely familiar with your state … Continue reading Michigan Hand Map Poster
Here’s a map poster made in ArcGIS Pro, and I’d like to tell you exactly how it was made. It sports cartoon-ized imagery, textures to make it look touchable, and overview globes that cast cute shadows. Here’s a how-to video, followed by step-by-step notes and links… 0:00 Melodious introduction0:23 Mis-using raster functions to make illustration-style … Continue reading How to enthingify maps with cartoon imagery and chunky overviews
Hey, check out the black labels for the black polygon features in this map! Oh, wait, you can’t read them. Ok, I’ll just switch them to white, like this: Foiled again! Now the white features’ labels are invisible. I suppose I could choose a neutral color like gray, but that would still be pretty hard … Continue reading How to make a layer’s labels readable over any background color
Basemaps can be a busy place. Highly variable visual content sitting behind your line features can make them hard to see. Also, maps with lots of feature types, like road networks, need a visual hierarchy so that the primary features are most visible, and so on. Think interstate expressways vs local roads in an atlas. … Continue reading Make lines legible, and POP, with casing
There are a lot of things to think about and manage and tinker with when you assemble a map into a layout, but here are three overarching things to consider: Here’s an example layout that has some issues. Those issues have been addressed in this update. And here it is in a portrait orientation. You … Continue reading Map Layout Review & Makeover
Here’s how you can create an inner shadow effect for your area of interest in ArcGIS Pro. Push the area down into the landscape with realistic lighting, using some gradient stroke hacks and an invisibility cloak. And, for giggles, the world’s fasted demo showing how to invert the effect to make the area of interest … Continue reading How to make a depressed map in ArcGIS Pro
Here’s how you can make the classic National Geographic sort of political style map, with inner tint band ribbon buffalo tint things, AND ensure no colors touch each other. We’ll use way more tools than you think and rely on a hotly contested mathematical theorem!All from the comfort of ArcGIS Pro. Here’s a closer look … Continue reading How to make a political map in ArcGIS Pro
