Southeastern United states

[Simon33600]

Hello guys.


I haven't been on the forums in a few days, I am working on a presentation for a job interview...

Case in point, I made a little map to use in this presentation:

Catfish production.png


The goal is to illustrate some data about the states of Texas, Arkansas, Alabama and Mississippi, and rather than making yet another diagram, I decided to combine this with a map...


What do you guys think of it? I know it's really basic for now...

[TregMallin]

Would it be possible to raise the entire outline of the state as the column?

[Hai-Etlik]

Would it be possible to raise the entire outline of the state as the column?

That would introduce an ambiguity as they have different areas and so the volume would not be purely a function of the height of the column. Even with a written clarification, it would be disruptive to the ability to easily see the values, which is the entire point of such a chart.

For a simple thematic map like this, I'd also drop the textures, glow, and whatnot. Simple flat colours will serve you best.

foo.png

[bartmoss]

I agree with Hai-Etlik in that it looks too... fuzzy. I guess it doesn't mean you can't add some graphical finesse, but since the map's primary purpose is to inform, you're better off by being subtle. Otherwise you'll end up distracting the audience.

If your interview is for a non-art/non-design profession, they'll want you to show them that you can clearly and professionally present the information. If it's an art/design interview, then working towards a clear purpose is probably even more important. A finance person, say, isn't expected to draw nice maps; but a designer is supposed to match the requirements of a given piece.

And that said, take that with a grain of salt, it's my personal opinion and I am neither a professional statistician, interviewer, designer, artist, or anything else like that. :-)