Guide to a successful map project part 3

In previous newsletters I talked about defining the project scope and designing for print vs online maps. This time we’ll look at inset maps.

Inset maps

These are additional smaller maps to help clarify the content of your main map.

Examples are simple locator maps to show your location within a larger geographical area, or a detail map to show a close-up view of a busy area on your main map.

Sometimes both types of insets can be used on the same map.

Greyscale map of Cali, Colombia, showing grey streets on a white background; selected neighbourhoods with dark grey shading and labelled; selected locations indicated with star symbols and labelled; lower right shows floating inset map of Colombia with several cities
Map of Corvallis, Oregon, showing locations of wineries, breweries, and distilleries. Map has light brown background with roads in white, green parks, and rivers in blue. Wineries and distilleries are shown with different coloured point symbols on the map and numbered, and identified by number in a key to the left. Key has a brick red background. There is a small square inset in the lower right of the map showing a detail view of downtown Corvallis.
Map of Philippines in green on a white background. Other countries shown in grey. Ocean is shown as a halo of light blue around the Philippines. Main map shows major cities and locations mentioned in the authors text, with a large detail map of the Manila area on the top right. The top left has a globe showing the location of the Philippines.

Because the scale of each inset map is different than the main map, you may need to add a scale bar to help your map reader properly understand the distances and area shown. This is particularly important if you have a detail inset on a city map that people may use for navigation.

Next time we’ll look at templates and design considerations for brochures and folding maps.

Don’t forget to check out our archive for any newsletters you missed!

Contact me

If you are ready to start your mapping project, contact me for a free consultation.

Please follow and share on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.
Subscribe to get the next newsletter delivered to your email inbox.