6 replies to this topic

[David Medeiros]

Here's a first draft of a map I'm doing to accompany a magazine article for a travel photographer. It's a route through Western Australia, part of an off road event. This is similar to my other overland magazine work but with a slightly different style and purpose, so I thought it might be worth showing. If you see anything askance, please let me know!

One interesting detail here is my shameless, and amateur, attempt at copying Tom Patterson's cross blended hyspometric tint for the relief image. I needed to use a different color scheme than I normally do and I thought Tom's cross blended image was just right but unfortunately the relief detail is a little too coarse for my scale. There's no tint only* file available at Natural Earth so I went ahead and made my own in Natural Scene Designer and Photo Shop. Thankfully the veg transition along this part of Australia was straight enough that a simple gradient mask sufficed to blend my two color ramps (green and brown). Not quite as elegant as Tom's method but it works for this map.



*Tom mentioned in a reply to me on the NE forum that he has had several requests to create a version of the cross-blended image without relief and may get to it eventually, his schedule permitting.

Attached Files

•  CollardAusv2.jpg   523.06K   181 downloads

[Kathi]

Nice work!

For me as a European not too familiar with Australia it would help to show the extent of the map on the index map, maybe by making that area a slightly lighter shade of grey.

Also, I find the clours of the main map rather somber, but maybe that's just my screen.

[David Medeiros]

I added an extent box on the locator map (per clients request) and made some slight adjustments to the image vibrance and saturation. I agree the first image was a bit "somber", this one is slightly less so. Given more time I'd probably go back and try some other base colors in NSD.

Attached Files

•  CollardAusv3.jpg   550.59K   103 downloads

[Kathi]

Much better!

[razornole]

The map look great and my first thoughts were the same as Kathi's, put the locator in there.

Here are two things that I noticed that differ from my style.
Why introduce a new red color? Have you tried to borrow the same red from your road/route to use on your locator. I try to use the same colors if possible to try to tie both maps together to make them one. Secondly that red is awfully saturated and really jumps out at you. All your other colors are muted.

Second commit, Perth seems to recede to me. Did you use a lighter grey then your other labels?

Did you make a decision on whether you are going to sign this map?

kru

[David Medeiros]

The map look great and my first thoughts were the same as Kathi's, put the locator in there.

Here are two things that I noticed that differ from my style.
Why introduce a new red color? Have you tried to borrow the same red from your road/route to use on your locator. I try to use the same colors if possible to try to tie both maps together to make them one. Secondly that red is awfully saturated and really jumps out at you. All your other colors are muted.

Second commit, Perth seems to recede to me. Did you use a lighter grey then your other labels?

Did you make a decision on whether you are going to sign this map?

kru

Good comments. I let the red color issue slip, I even thought about it as I added the box but just plain forgot to change the colors later. Perth is a lighter gray than the other towns (which are almost, but not quite, full black). I tend to use a town labeling system where the primary city in a region is a large, bold gray label and secondary towns are a regular thickness, smaller size black font. It usually works pretty well, especially where the labels are closer together... it may not have worked as well here.

This is one of my biggest struggles with magazine work... the turn around times are usually so short there is little time for experimentation. I started the base for this map a few weeks ago knowing the client would email me this week with the route and other details. I wasn't sure what the full subject would be so I didn't get much design done up front. There was only one day of wiggle room from the time I got the detail info and his submission deadline for the magazine. Also, as often happens with fast maps like this there isn;t as much back and forth from the client to help you sort out some of the smaller details. It's often a one shot deal, which is why I try to come here for basic advice... but this time the map has already been accepted and sent to publication.

[razornole]

The map look great and my first thoughts were the same as Kathi's, put the locator in there.

Here are two things that I noticed that differ from my style.
Why introduce a new red color? Have you tried to borrow the same red from your road/route to use on your locator. I try to use the same colors if possible to try to tie both maps together to make them one. Secondly that red is awfully saturated and really jumps out at you. All your other colors are muted.

Second commit, Perth seems to recede to me. Did you use a lighter grey then your other labels?

Did you make a decision on whether you are going to sign this map?

kru

Good comments. I let the red color issue slip, I even thought about it as I added the box but just plain forgot to change the colors later. Perth is a lighter gray than the other towns (which are almost, but not quite, full black). I tend to use a town labeling system where the primary city in a region is a large, bold gray label and secondary towns are a regular thickness, smaller size black font. It usually works pretty well, especially where the labels are closer together... it may not have worked as well here.

This is one of my biggest struggles with magazine work... the turn around times are usually so short there is little time for experimentation. I started the base for this map a few weeks ago knowing the client would email me this week with the route and other details. I wasn't sure what the full subject would be so I didn't get much design done up front. There was only one day of wiggle room from the time I got the detail info and his submission deadline for the magazine. Also, as often happens with fast maps like this there isn;t as much back and forth from the client to help you sort out some of the smaller details. It's often a one shot deal, which is why I try to come here for basic advice... but this time the map has already been accepted and sent to publication.

Hey those were nit-picky personal preferences. It's a good map.

kru