ABSTRACT
We are going to have to face it: map making is in many respects a creative process. Even if you know all of the standard practices that exist for maps, you will still have to deal with your unique data and mapping goals. And the only way to deal with those is to employ your creative skills. A lack of those skills could be extremely detrimental to your achievement of cartographic excellence. This brings us to a concept of duality in map design: you need knowledge of mapping standards and creative intelligence. Without the standards know-how, you risk everything from leaving out a bit of information that could have been useful, all the way to making grievous communications errors. Without creative skills, you could make maps that look nondescript, that don’t adequately illustrate your unique data and their ramifications, that don’t increase your professional capital, and that fail to leave a lasting impression. That is why this book, which consists largely of explanations of standards, is only part of the equation. That doesn’t mean that we will neglect the creative aspect of map making, however. This chapter is all about helping you to improve your design skills through creative exercise, and in other chapters there are reminders to do things your unique way or suggestions for unusual mapping techniques. With those tools you should be able to increase your creative skills on your own and thereby improve your map products considerably.
