6 replies to this topic

[mapfax]

 Election.png   160.64K   172 downloadsHere is a map for publication, and I would welcome comments on the content and design. Thanks.

[Dennis McClendon]

The main dilemma is the one always encountered on US electoral maps: the voting strength is not related to the land area. Presumably you've already discussed with your editor whether to use a cartogram or this approach.

The colors are nice, and the level of riverine and coastline detail is good—but could be better. Do we really need to see the uninhabited Channel Islands and every single inlet in the Alaska coastline? I'd probably choose something other than all-caps Helvetica for labels, but that may be required by publication style.

The legend is maybe a little clumsy. I'd just drop the last two legend entries in favor of a little note saying "Named states are the 12 most populous."

[mapfax]

The main dilemma is the one always encountered on US electoral maps: the voting strength is not related to the land area. Presumably you've already discussed with your editor whether to use a cartogram or this approach.

The colors are nice, and the level of riverine and coastline detail is good—but could be better. Do we really need to see the uninhabited Channel Islands and every single inlet in the Alaska coastline? I'd probably choose something other than all-caps Helvetica for labels, but that may be required by publication style.

The legend is maybe a little clumsy. I'd just drop the last two legend entries in favor of a little note saying "Named states are the 12 most populous."

Thanks for the comments. It was thought that a cartogram could be disorienting for a popular audience. Yes, the shoreline could be simplified for this thematic map. Good comment on the legend.

[woneil]

The black labels on dark-blue areas leave something to be desired in terms of legibility.

[razornole]

My mind is blown on how you can label some states and not others. What is so important about the top 12? I would recommend loosing those labels all together.

Overall the labeling is very poor, but my eye is drawn to Illinois and California. You let the other labels walk all over state boundaries, why make them different?

Clipping off the Aleutian Islands seems silly when there is so much space to include them.

How does one split a vote 4:1?

kru

[mapfax]

My mind is blown on how you can label some states and not others. What is so important about the top 12? I would recommend loosing those labels all together.

Overall the labeling is very poor, but my eye is drawn to Illinois and California. You let the other labels walk all over state boundaries, why make them different?

Clipping off the Aleutian Islands seems silly when there is so much space to include them.

How does one split a vote 4:1?

kru

The map goes along with an article that answers some of your comments. First, the electoral votes of the top 12 states will surpass the 270 votes needed to win. These states are labeled because they are important to the article. Also, Nebraska is one of only two states (the other being Maine) that splits its electoral votes. Obama received one electoral vote from the Omaha congressional district in 2008, earning it the name "Obamaha."

Yes, the labeling is a tad inconsistent, and I can work on that. The Aleutian Islands needed to be clipped for text and to maintain map scale in the print publication. Thanks.
David

[mapfax]

The black labels on dark-blue areas leave something to be desired in terms of legibility.

I considered going white type for the dark blue states but that looked bad (to me). I reduced the color darkness instead. Thanks.
David