Making engaging maps is a creative process that benefits from having an unexpected perspective and employing thoughtful design. But most importantly, it is an act of intention by the mapmaker who considers a phenomenon and how best to communicate it. As tools and resources become more capable and accommodating, the purposeful craft of the mapmaker remains the strongest ingredient in cartography.
![](https://www.esri.com/about/newsroom/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/JohnNelson.jpg)
John Nelson, cartographer and user experience (UX) designer at Esri, believes that artfully crafted maps can engage users and support business objectives. To that end, he created a variety of interesting and eye-catching styles to help users breathe new life into their ArcGIS Pro maps. Mapping with Style, Vol. 1 describes the five styles Nelson created for ArcGIS Pro, his inspiration for each one, and how to use them.
![](https://www.esri.com/about/newsroom/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/mapwithstyle-image.jpg)
Nelson created the following styles:
- Middle Earth is a style that was inspired by the map of Middle Earth created by the author J. R. R. Tolkien and the illustrator Pauline Baynes.
- Eduard Imhof Topography was named after and inspired by the work of Imhof, a famous cartographer known for his excellent relief shading.
- Firefly adds glow to your point, line, and polygon symbols.
- 1850s Physical Geography Atlas was inspired by a diagram from an 1854 atlas available from the David Rumsey Map Collection.
- Hachure is named for a map drawing technique from the past. “A hachure is a means of sketching downhill lines along elevation contours to create a rich, pseudorealistic topographic texture to a map,” Nelson said. “[The style is] often used for field sketches of general topography but sometimes for richly precise surveyed maps too.”
![](https://www.esri.com/about/newsroom/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/mappingwithstyle-center.jpg)
Download the free e-book.