Some tips and tricks for making a beautiful and effective map.
Presented here are some ArcGIS Pro and Adobe Creative Cloud operations that can be used to uplift the aesthetic of your map, while maintaining cartographic logic according to the rules of visual perception. This map was awarded 2nd place in the 2019 Esri International User's Conference Map Gallery in the post-secondary student category.
In ArcPro exist myriad data layers for immidiate import into your map. Search the online portal and the living atlas in the catalogue pane before beginning your online search
Check metadata and make sure all layers have a common projection and your region of interest is positioned correctly before creating a layout and exporting your map. (More tips)
Create a layout, or in QGIS resize your template to match the size of your final map. This is so any raster data layers will appear at proper resolution in your final map product
Export your layout, unfortunately from ArcPro a pdf is your only choice. Any Creative Cloud software can open a pdf, in Illustrator, open your layout and define new layers
Adobe Illustrator is used to manipulate vector layers (lines and polygons) such as routes, icons, labels and hydrology. Each feature type should be assigned its own layer
Raster layers are typically background layers and are manipulated in Adobe Photoshop. Open the exported pdf and select the resolution depending on your maps final medium
The High Park Fire map layers were assebled in Photoshop. The vector layers were copied directly into Photoshop and arranged in the layer panel according to visual hierarchy
Is your final map going to be printed or used online? This makes a difference whether the layout should be rendered for final use in Adobe InDesign or in Photoshop