Africa Reference Map

 

The goal of this exercise was to produce a map of Africa that included labels of all major countries, rivers, water bodies and geographical features.  We were given a blank map of Africa in Adobe Illustrator and instructed to make a map of Africa using the 5 essentials of map design: figure-ground, legibility, clarity, balance, and visual hierarchy.  We were also instructed to include the necessary map design elements such as a title, scale, neat line, etc.  Below is a JPEG of the Africa Reference Map that I made.

 

I chose to use 5 different distinct tones for the countries in order to create a visual hierarchy that made the countries of Africa stand out.  I made the background of the map white and the countries outside of Africa a light green so the focus areas of the map would stand out, creating the proper figure-ground appearance.  Labeling the features of the map was slightly difficult because there were a great deal of labels that needed to be included.  I used different fonts for different types of labels to make them stand out from each other.  I also used lines to label some of the countries in order to maintain legibility in the map.  I placed the title and scale in the bottom left of the map to fill the blank space and improve the balance of the map.