GEOG 280
Introduction to Cartography & Visualization
This course introduced the art and science of map production. I learned how maps communicate, why layout and color matter, and how ethical decisions shape the spatial stories we tell. Throughout the semester, we studied a wide range of maps and produced our own digital reference and thematic maps using Illustrator and GIS tools.
Map #1: Evan's Mental Map
of K&W Greenery
For this assignment, we were tasked with creating a mental map of a meaningful place from memory in Adobe Illustrator. I chose this location because it's my former workplace and a location I know like the palm of my hand, so it made recalling all the little details fun.
I used lots of tools to produce this map -- mainly the pencil, shapes (rectangle, ellipse, polygon), and type -- and then lots of work in properties to get it to look right (color fill, stroke, opacity, etc.). My favorite touch was adding an outer glow to some of the text to make it more legible.
The most challenging issue I encountered was managing so many layers. At first, I just tossed everything into one layer, and that quickly became unsustainable. I had to break it down by type (pathways, text, vegetation, etc.). Finding a text that was at least somewhat legible on top of so many shapes was also a challenge. In the future, I hope to mess around more with effects to find styles that enhance legibility. It also helped me better understand what to keep and not to keep - not every single detail has to be included, especially if it isn't really relevant to what the map is communicating.
Map #2: South America
Reference Map
This assignment required creating a reference map of South America that included political boundaries, major physical features, and appropriate cartographic elements. One of the bigger challenges I ran into with this map was the base map itself. The shading was uneven. Some areas were too dark and others too light which made it tricky to keep labels consistent. Physical features were the hardest since I ran out of time and ended up with a mix of colors and styles that don’t feel fully balanced. I also wasn’t super happy with how some of the typefaces looked, especially for features like the Andes Mountains and Brazilian Highlands. They work, but they feel a little heavy. There were things I thought came out really well though! Such as cutting out the continent and adjusting opacity which gave it kind of a halo effect that made the labels stand out better. I also liked moving the graticules behind the continent so they’re still there without competing with the main features. Feedback from classmates pointed out that the Guiana Highlands label was hard to read, and that my country borders and rivers could use a bit more weight so they don’t blend together. Those are things I’ll pay closer attention to in the future. Overall, I think the map works, but there’s definitely room for improvement.
Map #3: Bathymetric Map
of Lake Koshkonong
For this assignment, I chose Lake Koshkonong because it’s the lake I grew up next to in Edgerton, Wisconsin. It plays a big role in local culture, and I had many friends that lived along the shoreline, especially in the Mallwood area. Weekends often revolved around swimming, boating, or visiting the Buckhorn Supper Club in Charlie Bluff. I also find the lake super underappreciated for its rich ecological history. Before it was dammed, the area was one of the largest wetlands in the state – it rivaled Horicon Marsh and had huge wild rice fields and waterfowl populations. In recent years, there has been lots of discussion around removal of the Indianford Dam, which I would love to see, but is unlikely to happen – far too much of the local economy is now dependent on the lake.
To create the map, I used Adobe Illustrator to trace the lake’s bathymetric contours and surrounding features by overlaying the Wisconsin DNR’s lake survey map below it. Because the lake is so shallow, there weren’t many contours, but its size made the tracing process time-consuming. I decided on a sequential classic blue color palette to help emphasize depth. One of my biggest critiques that I would fix if I had more time is with the darkest tones – they may mislead readers over how deep the lake actually is. Beyond contours, separate layers were used for the inset map, roads, wetlands, and neatline to maintain organization. I also added a drop shadow and an inset locator map for figure-ground and legibility purposes. Another component I would’ve changed with more time would be the marsh/wetland color/texture. I would’ve loved to have an area swatch for that, but I found the process challenging and instead settled with what’s shown. Overall, I’m satisfied with my work, and I loved seeing a map of a place as beautiful as Koshkonong come to life.
Map #4: The Impact of Map Projections
This assignment involved creating a multi-map projections poster comparing eight different projections and analyzing how each distorts Wisconsin. The biggest challenge I faced during this assignment was the visual hierarchy of the projections themselves. Some of these projections sat on top of one another, and it makes it hard to read. I also found breaking down the information and consolidating it into one single map to be difficult. I think I tackled it quite well though – by breaking down the legend into a table, the data is presented in a way that I think is quite clear.
I definitely would’ve made small tweaks to this if I had time - mostly around the different projections. Classmates I talked to changed the weight of the line to help differentiate, and I wish I would’ve done that as well. I also think smaller things like the size of the text and even the color of the north arrow could’ve been changed for legibility purposes.
Map #5: Gaia GPS Thematic Map
This project required collecting GPS data in the field, importing it into GIS, and producing a thematic map using both ArcGIS Pro and Illustrator. I created a 9.63-mile biking loop through Eau Claire that highlights some of my favorite places in the city. The route begins and ends at Phillips Hall, home of the Geography Department, and follows the river trails through downtown Eau Claire. I completed the ride on November 5, 2025, in the afternoon, and it took just under 50 minutes without stops, with a total ascent of about 99 feet.
I used the Gaia GPS app on my iPhone to record the ride. I started and stopped the continuous recording at Phillips Hall. After completing the loop, I exported the data as a .KML file and imported it into ArcGIS Pro, where I adjusted the basemap and added a north arrow and scale bar. I then brought the map into Adobe Illustrator to add photos, labels, and a legend for final presentation.
My goal was to capture both the geography and the culture of Eau Claire by highlighting trails, scenic views, shops, restaurants, and other favorite spaces of mine from the five or so years I’ve lived here. The main challenges I faced included minor GPS errors near Phillips Hall and time constraints for designing the final map, but overall I am pleased with the finished product.
Map #6: County-Level Vacancy
Choropleth Map
For this assignment, we were tasked with creating a choropleth map using ArcGIS Pro, focusing on classification methods and map essentials. For my map – County-Level Housing Vacancy Rates in the United States, 2016 – I used vacancy rates / 2016 population at the county level. This gave me some really cool results! You can clearly see the Upper Midwest “cabin country,” as well as ski resort areas in the west and other tourism-heavy locations across the country. I used Natural Breaks for the classification method. After reviewing the other methods, I thought this one looked the cleanest and helped clearly distinguish areas with higher rates from those without. The data is all within just a couple percentage points of one another, with the greatest amount of vacancies / pop being just under 1.4%. I used a green color scheme simply because I felt it helped differentiate the county and state borders well.
Challenges included fitting in a blurb on the right side and general formatting issues in general. Communicating what is defined as a vacancy can be a struggle, and I think if I spent more time on the assignment, I would’ve elaborated on that. I also missed a couple map essentials, like a north arrow. Silly mistakes like that are easy to make but can be detrimental to the quality of the map produced. I also think it would’ve been cool to include pictures of some of the high vacancy counties, which could’ve been done in Illustrator. I think that would’ve made the map more engaging for viewers.
Map #7: Proportional Symbol Map
of Iceland Tourist Origins
In this assignment, we were asked to create a proportional symbol map visualizing where tourists visiting Iceland originate from. My biggest challenge was deciding on a projection that felt visually interesting but also easy to read. I ended up choosing a Lambert Azimuthal Equal Area projection and manually centered it on Iceland -- but not without a lot of trial and error. The azimuthal projection worked best because it highlighted Iceland as the focal point without distorting countries like the U.S. and China beyond recognition. I also had to decide how to scale the symbols, making sure the largest values (like the U.S.) didn’t overwhelm the map. With the largest circle at 80 px and the fill slightly transparent, I think I did a solid job at communicating the differences in visitors. Color was a bit tricky too -- I went with a dark basemap because it felt sleek and elements like topography aren’t needed for tourism data like this. For the symbols, I wanted something high contrast, so I chose bright magenta circles to stand out against the muted grays and blues. With more time, however, I probably would've chosen a red or bright blue instead to tie it back to Iceland's flag colors.
I ran into several issues with the symbology. The biggest one was that the United Kingdom and the “Other Countries” category were very close in magnitude, meaning their circles were almost the same size even after scaling. I had to decide whether to include both inside the extended legend or place “Other Countries” separately, or to throw out including the U.K. in the legend entirely. I also struggled determining how many extended circles to include.
Overall, I’m really proud of this map! I spent a lot of time tracing and highlighting the countries included in the dataset so they would stand out clearly against the basemap, and I think it really enhances the legibility. The small design touches like the plane graphic and the flag near the title make the map feel fun, intentional, and eye-catching. If I had more time, I would focus on fixing the large negative spaces – especially the areas south of Iceland and between Europe and China. Those empty regions throw off the visual balance slightly, and it bugs me so bad. Regardless, I think the final result is gorgeous and communicates the data clearly.
