Symbols and signs in thematic maps

Summary

This article discusses the rationale and principles for adapting widely used public signs into individual symbols on thematic maps. The author argues that signs and map symbols share a pictorial language, and that refining signs familiar to readers can facilitate map comprehension and legend standardization, particularly in human-geographical and environmental maps. Design should retain recognizable features, incorporate geometric forms to represent location and quantity, improve legibility through simplification, exaggeration, and graphic variation, and accommodate printing requirements and costs. The author criticizes the use of reduced photographs or meticulously realistic images as symbols. To address symbol congestion at smaller scales, the article recommends hierarchical symbol families that consolidate specific types into broader categories. It also proposes that symbol design consider map content, user requirements, visual perception, established conventions, and regional geographical characteristics. Experiments and comparisons should assess relationships and hierarchies among symbols and their overall graphic effect, while familiar signs should receive artistic treatment suited to cartographic representation.