M3 Cartographic Design

This week's module was about Gestalt principles and how to create a map keeping with the principles in place. It is not hard to create a map but it is a challenge to create one that adheres to the point of the map ensuring the point is made with balance. A map with colors that do not overwhelm and offer an invitation to look further into what is being conveyed in symbols and colors. I enjoyed this week's assignment because of how challenging it was, if for anything just picking the right colors. 

Figure Ground, Visual Hierarchy, and Contrast are three of Gestalt’s principles that are evident in this map. The public school symbols are smaller for the lower-level elementary schools and then get larger through junior high and high school. This is representative of the Figure Ground principle. The Visual Hierarchy principle is also implemented in the schools being shown at the front and on top of the University campus. As it says in the description of the figure the symbols reflect “intellectual hierarchy”. 

I made the colors and the symbol size of the schools different with a circle symbol. The size is smallest for the elementary increasing in size for the middle to the high school. Using different colors and sizes for the circles the visual hierarchy is evident that the focus of the map is on the schools in Ward 7 shown in the increasing sizes of the symbol of school grade levels. 

My map shows contrast with various colors representing the different elements of the map. The colors are not a variation of the same color but they offer a differentiation that is easy to follow for the different schools. The background of Washington, D.C. is grayed out making it easy to distinguish from the focus area of Ward 7. This contrast ensures immediate interest in the title and answers any questions about the point of the map.

The Figure-Ground relationship is evident in the colors of the school symbols. The grayed-out background is subdued enough to make the symbols stand out to the reader of the map. They are obviously different colors representing the schools in the area of Ward 7. While the river and parks offer balance to the neighborhoods and schools in Ward 7 they do not overwhelm the intent of the map, instead offering good figure-ground cohesion.

Balance was achieved in the final map design by adding and placing the feature layers in a specific order. Also making the colors blend in a gradient of gray or a shade similar to it. Also with certain layers, I made them transparent enough for the layer to be seen but not enough to become irrelevant to the map, i.e. parks and Ward 7. This offers balance when using certain colors to enhance the blend of colors used in the map. A subtle nudge towards a specific school may be ideal for a family with a school near a park. Having balance offers insight into what the point of the map is and also offers information about the area. It informs the reader of the whole picture presented in the map but also states the true point of the map, Ward 7 public schools.