Example of a bad map



This is a bad map for many reasons.  The main problem is there is entirely too much information. The author of this map may have interesting and good data but one simply cannot understand what is being portrayed without spending a good deal of time picking apart the map. The author put in the time to gather data and make the map, but what you take out is confusion of over lapping data on a very large scale.

Example of a Good map

This is a example of a good map. This map shows clear and detailed ancestry information through simple colors which are pleasing to the eye. There aren’t bright colors that make things stand out. Instead it uses simple, neutral colors which work well with this type of data. The contrasts of neighboring colors make smaller details stand out. The labels used are simple and clear information. The other reason I chose this map is because it does not have a North arrow or heading. This type of map must be assumed that it is aligned to the North. Also the map would not be used for navigation purposes as it does not have navigable features.