Once the decisions about which elements to use and why have been made, the
next step is to decide where they will go with consideration toward functional and
visual appeal. Many of the non‑map layout elements can be placed either on the map
itself or in the margins, depending on your design schema, map characteristics, and
other considerations. While those are by far the most important aspects to layout
design (the what and the where), you can go further in your pursuit of layout excel‑
lence by carefully considering the design of each of those elements. You’ll need to
think of each in terms of color, font, word choice, and overall style. The details for
each element that follow will therefore not only help further your decision as to what
to put on the layout but also help inform their placement and their style.