5 replies to this topic

[Claude]

Here's a recent, small project made in Illustrator

Attached Files

•  coal_foldout.jpg   732.09K   259 downloads

[Matthew Hampton]

A very nice clean map.

Legend:
The overlapping semi-transparent legend items are a little confusing as it creates 4 more colors than are on the map. The stroke on the "over 140 cents/mmBtu" on the map does not match the swatch in the legend. The color ramp for the coal volume could be tweaked a bit as the "125-140" seems a little hotter than the "over 140" on the map (i.e. it almost seems like the 4 corners area has more coal than Central Appalachia).

Using that strong of a drop shadow/glow makes for a visually hectic Great Lakes Area. Maybe better to fill those before applying that style to knock it out.

I like the tone and feel.

[BEAVER]

Very nice and clean. I like the colors. The only thing I would change are the outlines of states and great lakes. They are very choppy with too many straight lines.

[Claude]

great comments, thanks people/beavers. I will have to start using this more often for the final critique.

[Nick Springer]

I agree, a very nicely designed map. I do think you could light the drop shadow a fair bit, it is somewhat distracting especially in the Great Lakes.

I wonder too, if different, light color fills for the different Future locations would help the reader see the breadth of each category at a glance. The all white shapes means I have to analyze it closely.

I would also be interested in see, in a subtle symbol, the locations of existing coal plants.

[Pete Y.]

I really like this. Especially the very subtle relief, which gives the map some texture without standing out.
I think the message comes across but would echo the concern that the color for the 125-140 category could be desaturated a bit.
More minor points:
The railroad linework looks the tiniest bit over-smoothed; the generalization at this scale reminds me of streams at first glance.
On the other hand, the state boundaries might benefit from a little generalization. A few hard lines come out (southwest Florida, New Jersey around Cape May) that are at odds with the otherwise soft tones on the map.

Great job though!