Custom Type for Call-Out Boxes

To call attention to type labels on your map, consider placing them in a custom call-out box.

But not just any box will do. Place labels in boxes painted with Adobe Illustrator’s visual effects to help them stand out, or above, other details on the map.

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Vectors from Google

Importing points from Google Earth to Adobe Illustrator brings an added bonus: high-resolution vector icons make the journey, too.

In the life of a busy cartographer, Google Earth is a handy tool.

Google Earth is an effective environment to map points-of-interest or to finetune the positions of points you export from Adobe Illustrator via Avenza MAPublisher.

GOOGLE’S ICONS

But here’s a surprise: when importing a Google Earth .kml/.kmz file into Illustrator, Google’s playful icons enter your map file as editable icons.

Here’s what you can do to them.

Google icons on a map in Adobe Illustrator
Google icons on a map in Adobe Illustrator

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Pressing a WordPress Map into Service

WordPress is the most popular CMS for building websites. Some 43% of all websites are made with WordPress. The typical WordPress map is a Google map. But it doesn’t have to be.

Why not display a standard Google map on your webpage? The simple answer is a Google map may show information that’s unneeded or even counter-productive to your map. And graphically, it looks commonplace. Your well-designed map may prove far more effective.

To create a custom design map, consider using Avenza’s MAPublisher plug in and Adobe Illustrator for your next WordPress map.

ILLUSTRATOR & MAPUBLISHER

Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce map
Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce map

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