The 5 Principles of Geospatial Design

The 5 design principles of Mapping are Visual Contrast, Legibility, Figure-Ground Organization, Hierarchical organization, and Balance.

I chose the different symbols such as the green golf courses, and yellow area's of interest (AOIs) in order to create visual contrast between the colored items and the county map. The title, layout, and simplicity contribute to the legibility and communication of data. Simply removing the background counties and roads allowed for good figure-ground orientation and focus the map. The centering and size of the map as well as the balanced four corners of layout elements draw attention to the data and establish hierarchical organization.