Using type on maps

Map titles are an excellent place to set the mood of the map, and then carry it through with labeling and color choices. The ornate title blocks, or cartouches, of the Sanborn Map Company, were an important part of their branding. The maps themselves conveyed the accuracy and reliability of the data with crisp linework and draftsman's labeling. By contrast, the cartouches were highly elaborate, calling to mind detailed copper engravings and official documents, creating a recognizable product.

Perhaps a more ubiquitous example of typography and mood on maps can be found between the pages of National Geographic magazine. These detailed maps are often accompanied by blocks of text or rich illustrations, and are easily recognizable as National Geographic products even before you spot that Telltale yellow rectangle. There's a reason for this—their team of cartographers works from a detailed, pages-long style manual that specifies font styles for every type and size of feature. Labeling countries in a region? There's a style for that. Cultural regions? Bodies of water? Wildlife habitat? Disputed areas? You guessed it—there's a style for them all. The fonts, carefully selected and periodically evaluated, are designed to convey a scientific gravitas, but with a little flair that makes it distinctive.

While National Geographic may use some of the most familiar label styling, many other organizations also have consistent, branded style guides. Many public and private map companies have distinct styles that provide clarity but also set a mood, and perhaps even clearly identify the publisher. Independent cartographers often have more freedom to exercise their creativity, but regardless of personal preference, the intended audience for the map must ultimately dictate the mood. Road maps done in a swashbuckling script might look fun, but be frustratingly illegible when you are lost, or seem less reliable than a more traditional font. Whole books have been written on the use (and misuse) of typography, and provide insight into the way we respond to typefaces.

But aside from all of this branding and subtle psychological impact, the ultimate goal of lettering on maps is to enhance communication. Eduard Imhof, the renowned Swiss cartographer, made the most of the interplay between science and art in cartography, and in his paper, Positioning Names on Maps (Eduard Imhof, 1975), provided a number of guidelines for label placement and label form that are still widely regarded as canon by cartographers today. These guidelines were set forth not as Imhof's personal aesthetic, but rather as an attempt to document the collective knowledge of cartographers, which is perhaps why this document is still so salient. His key principles tie directly to map communication—legibility, clear connection between names and features, hierarchy, and the selection of features to label. We'll look at his specific guidance for points, lines, and areas in more detail as we generate label styles in ArcGIS Pro.