I had a pretty good time making this map. Probably the best mod to date. I spent some more time checking out what other things my classmates were doing, which really improved my map. It forced me to be a bit more creative and competitive. While it did take some time to do it, I found a few shortcuts for next time in Excel as well as Illustrator. The use of layers in Illustrator is starting to come back to me (I haven't used it in years) and that has sped things up a bit in the creation process. Well, it's also lowered the frustration as well, which is always nice.

Second Choropleth Map

This is my second choropleth map. I feel a lot better about it than the first. The legend has been corrected from the first map, as well as a new layout that makes more since. I chose the Albers equal area projection for this, as I believe area to be the most prudent attribute for a choropleth. What I don't like is the size of Alaska. I was tempted to shrink Alaska, but I know that my scale would be off, so I nixed that idea.

I realize that we're not supposed to add decorative features, but my map feels empty to me. I originally had a neat line, but didn't like the look of it.

Choropleth Map

This is my first map. Honestly, it isn't very good. While I was working on it, my wife went into labor so it dropped from thoughts. Completely.

Composition Lab

Here is my composition lab for Mod 4. I like this one, the "insert" boxes took me forever as I couldn't figure how layers and groups were working, but I got it figured out now. Also, the borders of the counties are strange, some show, some don't. Don't know if that is something I changed or not.

Typography Lab

This is my typography lab for Mod 4. The .jpg quality is low, if anyone knows how to save it at a better resolution, please post in comments.