10 replies to this topic

[François Goulet]

Here's the result of a map I just finished. It will be published in a newspaper next week (les affaires, in Quebec).

Thanks to those who help me (see my previous post "Ukraine date" and "Newspaper map".

The newpaper's designer sent me a model so I had to follow it pretty much. Most of the colors are his.

I kinda like it though

Comments are welcome too, since I'll have some more to do in the future.

Thanks!

Attached Files

•  001_Ukraine.jpg   462.3K   250 downloads

[frax]

Looks very nice, clean and simple.

My main comment would be that I feel that the population density (and the pipelines) eats up most of the attention, which may, or may not, be what you intend to communicate with the map.

I would consider upsizing some of the other icons, at least for agriculture (since they span large areas). I think the icons could also benefit from being a tad simpler, when they are are small resolution (the wheat is quite detailed).

Then I am not wild about the font that is used for the country names (which one is it?) - the big serifs on the I's make it look semi-monospace - a bit like the OCR family, and like alphabet stencil rulers...
(I assume the font is out of your control, and part of the newspaper specs)

A very minor thing is to make the globe more spherical, by applying a gradient on it, and make the dropshadow more 3d/sphere-like. Now it looks like a flat coin-like map.

But that is all minor comments! Good job!

[MapMedia]

Excellent job - not a bad template to work with. It should do quite well on newsprint.
For the city names, I would go with either normal or italics, not both, as you do not have many city labels to need to differentiate.
Move Black Sea label closer to outgoing pipes? I could follow other pipes and understand easily from wither or to they go, but the pipes going through the Black Sea, I had to hunt around to find out their new placename.

Bravo.

[pfyfield]

I actually visited Ukraine last summer, and am going back again this year. My wife has an aunt and many cousins who live in Kherson, at the mouth of the Dnieper river.

That's my one comment- the Dnieper is such a major feature, I would include and label it. You've got room.

And I might use a sunflower for the agricultural symbol...

[François Goulet]

Thanks guys!

The font used is Flama. That's the one used on the template I had. Has for the rest, you're quite right! The population density was the main thing to put on the map (it's the newspaper's palette) and once I slept on it, I do find the pipeline a bit too much "apparent" on the map, but I was told to use their color chart. Could have said "Sorry, but that won't do", but I'll try it for the next. I used italic for the the nuclear power plants, but since the icon is differentiate enough and they are point elements as the cities, I could have used only roman.

I'll keep your comments beside my desk for the next!

I love constructive criticism so keep it coming if you like!

Thanks again!

Edited by Hans van der Maarel, 03 March 2008 - 08:49 PM.
Created link

[frax]

I was actually attending a GIS meeting in Kiev last week - we are setting up a joint GIS database for the Dniester river basin (Moldavia + Ukraine - including the Moldavian rogue republic of Transnistria).

From that meeting, the main thing I took with me home is this flu that I am trying to battle out now...

[François Goulet]

From that meeting, the main thing I took with me home is this flu that I am trying to battle out now...

And some people say that those meetings don't gave you anything good... You prove them wrong

Take some rest and thanks again for the comments!

[frax]

I am joking, it was a very productive meeting, with water specialists from Ukraine, Transnistria and Moldova. Some truly smart people in this group - in Moldova they even user their home-developed GIS software, which they claim is best since sliced bread! Not so easy with the translation though (I don't speak any Russian, and few of them spoke English at a level good for conversation).

Interestlingly enough - and I have seen that before in other countries in transition/NIS - one of the parties was very protective about the data, and stated several times that the layers in question (water quality, discharges and emissions, I think) could not be shared to the public. I found it interesting that one of the parties was very protective about it, and the other didn't mind - at all.

[Dennis McClendon]

One small comment, which probably is in the newspaper's specs: It's odd for both water features and political boundaries to be white, as it's difficult to tell what's a river and what isn't. If keeping water white, I'd suggest a 60% gray for boundaries.

[François Goulet]

One small comment, which probably is in the newspaper's specs: It's odd for both water features and political boundaries to be white, as it's difficult to tell what's a river and what isn't. If keeping water white, I'd suggest a 60% gray for boundaries.

They only gave me a reference map and on it, they where both white... and the size of the line was more similar than mine. At least, I've tried to make the boundaries larger and the river smaller...

For the next one, I'll try to make them change it...

Thanks!

[Casey Greene]

hey Francois,

I just wanted to say that I saw the map in the newspaper (from the picture on your website)...and it looks really good.

congrats

-Casey Greene
(cbgreene17@yahoo)