ABSTRACT
The change from paper to an interactive medium has implications for map design far beyond map elements. It has altered how maps can be designed and organized. The purpose of this chapter is to get you thinking about online Web map composition and layout. Map composition deals primarily with a map’s visual hierarchy; it is the process of deciding which map elements, and components within the map area, to emphasize and promote over others to best communicate your message to map users. Web map layout is intrinsically tied to decisions you make about your map’s composition. However, layout specifically deals with the arrangement and balance of map elements on the screen. A good way to keep the two straight is that map composition deals with “how” prominently to display different map elements; map layout deals with “where” to display them.
