Fonts and Labels
Gretchen N. Peterson · 2024
This chapter explains the differences between serif, sans-serif, decorative, and script fonts. It describes when and how to use each, depending on the map’s style, the feature being labeled, the language, and the function of the text. Adjustments such as point size, character spacing, italicizing, weight, and the proper use of halos are examined in terms of how they can contribute to labeling hierarchies. Conventions for labeling hydrographic features, elevation labels, populated places, and more are laid out. Students will be interested to learn how global-level political name labels are automated based on the ISO codes in their data’s language and worldview fields, the necessity of using fonts with expanded character sets to support multiple languages, and the techniques involved in right-to-left text direction.