Week 1 - Map Critique

Critique of map design using Edward Tuft's "20 Tufteisms"

 

The Good:

[Image Source: UWF R:\Example Maps]

The map above is an example of good map design.  The point of the map is clear almost before one read the text labels (Tufteism’s 1, 2, 3, 20) – this is a map concerning specific features on an island (in this case, archaeological features on Easter Island).  The map makes excellent use of the space available (Tufteism’s 3, 14), with helpful keys and map elements (scale bar, map keys, inset map) placed in the open areas around the main focus of the map.  The map is well labelled, with the label text presented in different fonts and sizes based on their importance to overall message of the map (Tufteism 7).  The labelling is uniform for each symbol type throughout the map, so it is not distracting or showing design variations (Tufteism 9).  There also isn’t anything redundant or extraneous on the map (Tufteism’s 15 -19).  The map could benefit from a north arrow, although perhaps that isn’t necessary given the latitude/longitude lines placed on the map.

The Bad: 

 

[Image Source: UWF R:\ Example Maps]

The map above is an example of poor map design.  According to Edward Tuft’s “20 Tufteisms”, a well-designed map should include the presentation of information in a clear and concise way (Tufteism’s 2 & 3), showing only what is necessary without a lot of junk (Tufteism’s 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20). Labeling on the map should be easy to follow, and should also explain what is on the map (Tufteism 7).  To start, it is unclear what the map is supposed to be a representation of. The above map is not easy to read (violation of Tufteism’s 1-3, 7, 20), and the sheer amount of symbols (all of which do not have a discernable key) are overwhelming to look at (violation of Tufteism’s 7, 13, 15 – 18).  There is an arrow pointing to something on the map, but it is unclear what that item might be, or what its significance is (violation of Tufteism 15, 18).  A scale bar is present, but for some reason had been placed over the map view itself – this makes it very difficult for the viewer to use, assuming that the viewer was able to find the scale in the first place (violation of Tufteism 17, 18).   The map could be improved by removing some of the symbols on the map.  The use of labels should be restricted to what is absolutely necessary, and the addition of a descriptive title, map key, north arrow, and scale bar (all placed off the map view) would help the viewer tremendously.