Why Good Design Matters
In this book you will see me advocating for good design that is both appealing and
communicates its points effectively. I have heard the argument that aesthetic design
is not as important as communicative design. Indeed, some say that a design could be
entirely devoid of any aesthetic quality and still be considered “good” design as long
as it communicates effectively. This makes sense in some situations. I think one could
fairly assert that the McDonald’s golden arches signs are good design even though
many would not consider them beautiful. The same goes for a whole host of fast‑food
restaurant signs, which tend to use colors from opposite sides of the color wheel that
are totally jarring. Sure, they look gaudy, but they get their messages across: “Eat here!
We are fast and vibrant just like the colors on our signs!” However, does this apply
to GIS maps? No. If we choose dissonant colors, no viewers will be able to look at
the map for longer than ten seconds before their eyes start to blur. If we are lax about
balancing the elements on a page then we risk losing credibility as it will look sloppy
and unprofessional. If we clutter the map layout with a bunch of extraneous lines and
boxes, we risk overwhelming the map with garbage. In short, an aesthetically pleasing
Why Good Design Matters
In this book you will see me advocating for good design that is both appealing and
communicates its points effectively. I have heard the argument that aesthetic design
is not as important as communicative design. Indeed, some say that a design could be
entirely devoid of any aesthetic quality and still be considered “good” design as long
as it communicates effectively. This makes sense in some situations. I think one could
fairly assert that the McDonald’s golden arches signs are good design even though
many would not consider them beautiful. The same goes for a whole host of fast‑food
restaurant signs, which tend to use colors from opposite sides of the color wheel that
are totally jarring. Sure, they look gaudy, but they get their messages across: “Eat here!
We are fast and vibrant just like the colors on our signs!” However, does this apply
to GIS maps? No. If we choose dissonant colors, no viewers will be able to look at
the map for longer than ten seconds before their eyes start to blur. If we are lax about
balancing the elements on a page then we risk losing credibility as it will look sloppy
and unprofessional. If we clutter the map layout with a bunch of extraneous lines and
boxes, we risk overwhelming the map with garbage. In short, an aesthetically pleasing
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