Lesson 2 Lab

Lesson 2 Lab

Lettering and Layouts

This week, we'll revise and combine our two maps from Lab 1 into one neat, well-designed layout with labels, a legend, and marginal map elements (e.g., scale bars, north arrow). You'll get to build off your hard work from last week and apply new knowledge from this week: typographic design, label symbology, and layout design.

This lab, which you will submit at the end of Lesson 2, will be reviewed/critiqued by one of your classmates as part of Lesson 3. Receiving critique of your work and using this to inform future cartographic design decisions is an important skill to develop. Giving feedback to others also often teaches you new ways of looking at your own and others’ map designs.

Lab Objectives

• Create appropriate labels for map features using Maplex automated labeling tools in ArcGIS Pro.
• Apply labels to your maps from Lab 1, designing to show both category and hierarchy.
• Apply what you learned about multi-scale map design in Lab 1 by creating both a main map frame and an accompanying locator map.
• Use visual hierarchy when designing symbols, labels, a legend, and a layout.

Overall Lab Requirements

For Lab 2, you will create one complete map layout, with a main and a locator map.

• Modify your maps from Lab 1 to create new maps—you will need to make significant changes for them to work at the new scales; you may start over from the beginning if you wish.
• The best approach is likely to design your main map first, then create a copy of this map which you will modify/generalize/redesign as appropriate for the smaller (1: 1,000,000) inset map scale.
• Use these approximate scales: 1:40,000 for the main map, 1: 1,000,000 for the locator map.
• Design over ArcGIS Pro’s light gray canvas basemap—the same basemap we used in Lab 1 but please turn off the Esri basemap before submitting your lesson.
• Use color hue as you wish—be cautious not to overuse it. There is no restriction on color use for this lab.

Map Requirements

Labeling Requirements

• Coordinate label appearance with feature symbol design.
• Create label types with style settings; use SQL queries create specific feature label classes.
• Remove all nonsensical labels, using SQL queries and other methods of feature removal.
• Use expressions to augment at least one category of labels with additional text and/or combine data attributes.
• Use label placement conventions for line and area features.

Map One: Primary Map (1:40,000)

• Examine your map and develop at least four or more label categories based on the map feature classes (e.g., Highways, Lakes, Streams, Boundaries, etc.). You can use other names for your label categories.
• Within each label category, create one or more label classes. The label classes should demonstrate a hierarchy to a label category (e.g., interstate, collector road, local road, etc.).
• Create at least eight different label classes in total. You will likely have more label classes in some label categories than others. 
• For this lab, a map feature class is considered different if defined differently in the data (e.g., local and collector roads have different TNMFRC codes; lakes and reservoirs have different FTypes). Note that while some map feature classes have a different FType, for instance, this difference doesn't necessarily mean that those features need to have unique label designs (e.g., what is the practical difference between a lake and reservoir on your map?). You do not need to create a unique label class for every map feature class, just the eight in total as described above. Some of the geographic areas in LA, for example, don't have a tunnel.

Map Two: Locator Map (1: 1,000,000)

• The locator map should be placed on the same layout as the main map.
• Label prominent map features as needed at this scale.
• Remember that this inset map is needed to provide locational context for people unfamiliar with the location you are mapping—design features and labels accordingly. Also, be judicious in how much information you show on your locator map. 

Layout requirements

• Create two frames at different scales (main map and locator map). The main map should be larger in size than the inset map.
• Create appropriate marginal elements:
  • a north arrow for the locator map (confirm north is up in both map frames);
  • two scale bars; use clean design and label with sensible numbers;
  • a legend; design its style, placement, and descriptive text;
  • a hierarchy of marginal text (e.g., title, subtitle, data source, your name, legend text, legend title) – not necessarily in this order.
• Create a balanced page layout (either portrait or landscape). Attend to negative space.

Lab Instructions

1. Open your project from Lab 1 and re-save with a new name (e.g., "Geog486_Lab2").
   • If desired, you may re-download the zipped folder from Lesson 1 Lab and start the new map design from scratch.
2. Start designing!
   • As in Lab 1, there are few steps that must be completed in order - map design is not a linear process. You are encouraged to reference the visual guide for additional instructions and guidance. If you have a question, comment, or suggestion, please post it to the Lesson 2 Discussion forum.

Grading Criteria

A rubric is posted for your review.

Ready to Begin?

More instructions are provided in Lesson 2 Lab Visual Guide.