Maps contain a lot of information, so it's important to have the information well organized and attractive.  Map layers, colors and text are key elements to understand for effective editing. 

Understanding Map Layers

When you open a map in Illustrator, layers are displayed in the Layers Palette.  This brief introduction to the Layers Palette and the structure of layers in our maps will enable you to quickly and easily display precisely the feature layers you want.

Design Tip 1 -  Understanding Map Layers

Coloring Your Map

When it comes to map color, you have a tremendous amount of control over the appearance of your map because Map Resources maps are carefully constructed to take advantage of the power of Ilustrator's color editing capabilities. You can select area objects such as states or counties with color using "Fill", then further tweak the appearance by adjusting the "Stroke".

Design Tip 2 - Coloring Your Map

Editing Map Text

On a detailed map, the appearance of the text is one of most critical aspects in the overall success of the illustration.  Map Resources consturcts maps to give you maximum flexibility to control the appearance of text. You can select and edit individual text objects, or you can make global changes to entire text layers.

Design Tip 3 - Editing Map Text

Vector Map Notes

Maps are essentially lines, text and fill patterns, and these are best depicted in a vector environment.  Line resolution, and good resizing are key to a great looking map.

Design Tip 4 - Vector Map Notes