mapmaking patterns

Elements that seem to jump off the page at the reader will draw the reader’s immediate attention. They’ll think that those are the most important things on the map, because they notice them first.

Give the most visual emphasis to the information that you want someone to notice relatively quickly and remember long after they stop looking at your map. First define the intellectual hierarchy of the map: what is the map about, who are the main characters, who are supporting characters, and what’s background or just part of the set? Then make the visual hierarchy of your map communicate this intellectual hierarchy. You want to develop the illusion of depth on your map with the main characters in the foreground.