5.5 Lab — Designing a Static Map

Key takeaways

• You'll combine open data, a thoughtful projection, and all nine map elements into a polished deliverable.
• The layout composer in QGIS is the standard free tool; what you learn translates to every other cartographic tool.
• Budget iteration — your first draft will be 60 % of the final version.

Introduction

This is the module's capstone lab. You'll design a single thematic map: "Population density by country in Europe." By the end you'll have a print-ready PDF that applies every principle from module 5. Budget about an hour.

Prerequisites

• QGIS 3.x.
• Internet access for data downloads.
• A quiet hour — this is the design work, not a quick click-through.

Step 1 — Gather data

• Country boundaries: Natural Earth ne_50m_admin_0_countries.zip.
• Population estimates: World Bank "Population, total" (CSV).
  • Or use the POP_EST attribute in the Natural Earth file.

Load both into QGIS.

Step 2 — Project the map

Reproject to ETRS89 / Lambert Azimuthal Equal Area (EPSG:3035) — the standard for European thematic maps. This gives honest area comparisons across northern and southern Europe.

• Project → Project Properties → CRS → EPSG:3035.
• Verify the map looks sensible; Europe appears centred and proportional.

Step 3 — Compute population density

If you used Natural Earth, the attribute is population. Compute density:

1. Right-click the layer → Open Attribute Table.
2. Field calculator: "POP_EST" / ($area / 1000000) — people per km².
3. Store as a new field pop_density.

(If using World Bank CSV, join on ISO country code first.)

Step 4 — Classify and symbolise

1. Right-click layer → Properties → Symbology.
2. Graduated renderer, value = pop_density.
3. Method = Natural Breaks (Jenks), classes = 5.
4. Colour ramp: pick a sequential ColorBrewer palette (YlOrRd or Blues).
5. Round class breaks to meaningful numbers (10, 50, 100, 200, 500).
6. Apply.

Zoom to fit. Take a first screenshot — this is your "ugly first draft".

Step 5 — Layout composer

1. Project → Layouts → New Print Layout — name it "Europe density A3".
2. Page size A3 landscape.
3. Add Map — drag a rectangle for the main map.
4. Right-click map → Item Properties — lock layers so they don't shift.

Step 6 — Add elements

Add the canonical nine:

1. Title — Add Label, text = "Population Density, Europe, 2023". Position top-left, font Inter 22 pt bold.
2. Subtitle — "People per square kilometre", 14 pt italic.
3. Legend — Add Legend, bottom-right, auto-fed from map.
4. Scale bar — Add Scale Bar, units = kilometres, segments = 4.
5. North arrow — Add North Arrow, top-right, small.
6. Inset — Add Map 2, set to world view (4326 or Robinson), draw a red rectangle showing Europe's position.
7. Projection note — Add Label, "Projection: ETRS89 Lambert Azimuthal Equal Area (EPSG:3035)", 7 pt grey, bottom-left.
8. Source — Add Label, "Sources: Natural Earth, World Bank Development Indicators. Map by [Your Name], 2025.", 7 pt grey.
9. Date — "Data vintage: 2023", 7 pt grey.

Step 7 — Apply hierarchy and alignment

• Title should be the biggest thing on the page.
• Map itself dominates — at least 60 % of page area.
• Legend and scale align on a vertical or horizontal grid.
• Credits line is one tight paragraph at the bottom.

Use Align and Distribute tools in the layout composer to keep edges lined up. QGIS offers guides under View → Guides.

Step 8 — Iterate

• Does the reader's eye go title → map → legend in under 5 seconds?
• Is the colour ramp distinguishable at print size?
• Do any labels overlap visually?
• Is any text smaller than 6 pt?

Make adjustments. Repeat. This is where the craft lives.

Optional browser check: export the main thematic layer to GeoJSON and open it in Atlas. Recreate the styling roughly, share the map link with a classmate or colleague, and ask what they notice first. That response is useful evidence for whether your hierarchy is working before you polish the static PDF.

Step 9 — Export

Layout → Export as PDF — 300 dpi, vector where possible, raster only for imagery.

Save the layout template (.qpt) — you'll reuse it.

Step 10 — Self-review

Answer honestly:

• Does every one of the nine elements pull its weight?
• Would a non-GIS reader understand what they're looking at?
• If you squint, does the hierarchy still work?
• Is there any clutter you could remove?

If you edit even one element, re-export. Publish the PDF as your deliverable.

Troubleshooting

• Layer doesn't appear in legend — check the legend's layer list in its Item Properties.
• Text labels overlap — enable Show Labels on the layer, then in Labels → Rendering, enable Show all labels = off and set a priority to drop overlaps.
• Colour ramp looks different in PDF than on screen — ensure you exported as CMYK-safe colours if printing.
• Inset map doesn't update when main map changes — link them via Item Properties → Main Properties → "Locked".

Self-check exercises

1. Why use EPSG:3035 instead of Web Mercator for a European thematic map?

EPSG:3035 (Lambert Azimuthal Equal Area) preserves area — essential when visualising a density variable across countries of different sizes and latitudes. Web Mercator would exaggerate Scandinavia and Russia compared to Spain and Italy, misleading the reader about spatial proportions.

2. Your population density classification creates five classes, but 90 % of countries fall into the lowest two. What's happening and how do you fix it?

You have right-skewed data dominated by low-density countries. Options: (1) switch to quantile classification to distribute counts evenly; (2) use natural breaks (Jenks) which adapts to distribution; (3) apply a log transform before classification to compress the high tail; (4) use manual breaks that highlight meaningful thresholds.

3. The same map looks great on screen but prints muddy. What's likely wrong?

RGB vs CMYK mismatch. Screen uses additive RGB where blues and greens appear vivid; print uses subtractive CMYK where those hues often dull. Always preview in CMYK mode (QGIS can approximate) and proof on the actual printer. Saturated RGB colours should be dialled back slightly for print.

Summary

• You built a complete thematic map following every principle from this module.
• Projection choice (equal-area), classification (Jenks), palette (sequential), and layout elements all combined to produce an honest deliverable.
• Save the layout template for reuse; you'll produce many more maps this semester.

Further reading

• QGIS Documentation — Print Layouts chapter.
• Brewer, C. — Designing Better Maps.
• Kennedy, H. & Huot, M. — Hand-drawn Maps (for design inspiration).
• Mapshaper — quick simplification and reprojection for the web.