Chloropleth Map

For this exercise we were instructed to make four chloropleth maps of American ancestry in North Carolina.  This topic is relevant because a great deal of the the population around the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina identifies as having American ancestry. We were given an excel chart containing all of the statistical data and a blank North Carolina county map in Adobe Illustrator.  I used the excel spreadsheet to create class breaks for each type of classification.  We were required to map the absolute number of persons reporting American ancestry in two different maps, one using the quintile classification and the other using equal interval classification.  We also had to produce two maps of the percentage of all persons reporting American ancestry, using both quintile and equal interval classifications.  The maps include some of the crucial design elements and were created with respect to the essentials of map design.

I used two different color schemes for the maps, one for the equal interval classified maps and another for the quintile classified maps.  The darker tones represent higher concentrations, creating a visual hierarchy.  I placed the legends and titles in a way that was balanced, so there were no large blank spots.  Only one scale is provided because all of the maps are identical in shape and size and came from the same map projection.  I made a few minor mistakes on the map, such as leaving out an explanation of why these maps are relevant.  It was difficult to fit all four maps on the page while maintaining clarity, legibility and balance.  I think that the absolute number of persons reporting American ancestry using the quintile classification best represents the data and is the easiest to interpret visually.