Enhance Your ArcMap Legends
December 15, 2008 by Timothy
Filed under ArcGIS, Cartography, GIS Tips, Videos
The cartographic design of a map is an important part to the delivery of your information. One of the key features is the legend. It defines how the map is perceived. If the legend is not presented in a helpful role, then the map is of no value. There are many elements to a legend. Understanding each area and how they work is important. Here are some excellent insights to ArcMap legends that are within this video:
- Multiple Columns
- Titles
- Frames
- Drop Shadows
- Layers Swatches
- Font Types
- Description Layouts
Check it out and take your maps to the next level!
Note: Videos are broadcast through youtube.com. Some browsers may block this content.
Related Readings
Creating a Whole Page Legend in ArcMap
Multi-Lined Legend Labels in ArcMAP
ArcGIS Tutorial: Manually Editing the Legend in ArcGIS/ArcMAP
Related Books
Making Maps: A Visual Guide to Map Design for GIS
Designing Better Maps: A Guide for GIS Users
David Lamb on Mon, 15th Dec 2008 11:37 pm
Nice video/post. The only thing, speaking from personal experience, that I would add to this is after creating the legend. Like you show, go to properties, and then under the Items tab, uncheck all the options in the Map Connection group box. If you leave them turned on, it is really easy to mess up the legend you’ve spent so much time setting up simply by adding a layer or moving a layer in the TOC (or someone else might come in and mess it up for you).
Thanks for your work.
Cheers,
David