This book’s purpose is to help you meet and surpass the new standards. In pre‑
vious years, people with an interest in furthering their cartography skills could
try to build them through years of slogging through books that were outdated, not
in‑depth enough, or that focused on an entirely different software platform from
the one they were using. Then, over more years, they could apply these concepts
gathered from disparate sources to their work and eventually achieve a certain level
of competence. And that’s only for the GISers who tried. Think about those who
couldn’t have cared less about their map designs and how they communicated their
analytical results. Within this book, though, you will find a great amount of infor‑
mation on not only the tried‑and‑true traditional techniques, but also on the latest
design skills that can really enhance your map products. You will learn that it is
up to you to decide whether a particular accepted standard is right for your map
or whether you should try a unique approach. You will learn how to cultivate your
inner creative genius so that you are able to innovate. And where you need addi‑
tional detail, inspiration, and instruction, there are some helpful references through
which you can further your study.