Lettering

Legibility

Are all of your labels and symbols on the map legible? Did you check how type, lines, points, and icons interact with elements and colors of your background? You may have to change the color of the label in some locations to improve contrast. You may also need to avoid particularly slender or “light” fonts if you are printing on a white background.

Graphic association

Have you helped the reader associate symbols and labels by associating their visual variables? For example, did use the same hue or weight to associate line and label? To test this, squint at a label paired with a symbol. They should appear to have the same visual weight.

Spatial association

Does the placement of a label resemble the spatial characteristic of the referent? Are rivers and water features italicized to resemble their movement? Do mountain ranges range? Are cities aligned with a graticule? Are coastal towns on the water?

Minimal disturbance

Have you positioned your labels so that they don’t disturb other map elements? Have you avoided the oBERLIN and ROMEo problems of text and symbol alignment? Have you avoided clutter when text overlaps line symbols by knocking out the underlying lines.

Type taxonomy

Did you devise a taxonomy for your labels that helps someone distinguish and associate the different things that appear on the map? First, make a list of the kinds of things that appear on your map. Then use a different type style to distinguish each kind of thing. Use hue, size, capitalization, bold/italic and fonts to develop your type taxonomy.

Ant party

Do your labels appear cluttered in an area? Did you save the darkest inks for only the most important labels, or the labels you want to have the highest contrast and most legibility?