san diego map 3
san diego map
Visual hierarchy is defined as the organization of design such that some things seem more prominent and important, and others less so. A successful visual hierarchy clearly communicates the intellectual hierarchy, the ordering of elements in a map according to their relative importance, and intent of the map. A key concept of visual hierarchy is figure-ground and understanding the relationships. “Figures” are the elements that stand out to the viewer visually, and the rest of the image is “ground”. One thing to acknowledge in figure-ground is color and contrast. The less contrast in a map equals a poorer figure-ground effect. Visual variables are ordered by size and color value. If something on the map is important or represents something large, the symbol should be bigger and bolder than others. It is also important that a map is labeled with text or charts if it exists on some kind of page (ex., paper, website).
I changed the color of my diamonds on my map to a pink gradient to make the differences more pronounced. It also helps with contrast against the lightly colored background. I also lightened the background color to a very light pink to show more contrast and to show the county lines better. With the light tan color I had before, the colors of my symbols blended in too much. I increased the saturation on the symbols to make the colors more vibrant and easier to look at. Finally, increased the outline width on the symbols so that they are more easily differentiated from one another. Because there are clusters of symbols in some counties, darkening the border makes it easier to see.
