Map Design 33
Legends
Legends present minidesign problems.
Like title design,
legend design has several
parts: content, wording, placement, and style. First of all, any symbol in the legend
must look
exactly like the symbol on the map. Miniaturizing the symbol, for example,
will cause reader confusion (Figure 2.17). It isn’t necessary to title the legend space as
“legend,” although this is commonly done, especially on maps in children’s textbooks,
and was built into some early computer mapping programs. This is much like saying
“a map of” in the title; it is redundant and a waste of space—although on children’s
maps it can serve as a teaching aid. The legend title can elaborate on the subject of
the map and should explain the material in the legend (Figure 2.18). For example, if
a map shows median income in the United States, by state, the legend could be titled
“Income in Dollars.” Or if the map title is simply “Income by State” the legend title
can be “Median Income in Dollars.” The goal is clarity (see Chapter 3).
Placement of the legend, like the other design elements, is governed by balance
and white space. There is no general rule for where a legend should be placed although
some companies and agencies may establish their own guidelines for a map series.
The lettering style of a legend does not have to be the same as that of the title,
but the typefaces must complement one another. Some typefaces do not work well
together (see Chapter 3).
scale
In this section we are concerned
with design and placement,
not calculation and
choice of scale; those topics are treated in Chapter 5. Scale can be expressed graphi-
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