Image Credit: http://media.gta-series.com/images/vcstories/maps/vcuniquestunts_falkaspargs.png
This is a brief critique of the map of the famous Vice City, which is the city in the popular video game Grand Theft Auto. Critiques are based on several different factors that are figure ground, balance, clarity, legibility, and visual hierarchy.
Figure Ground: This map I think does a poor job with contrasting between the ground and the more important map features. I think a lighter hue for a background color would be appropriate also with no design.
Balance: This map is fairly balanced for it encompasses the majority of the space. No feature really demands attention which is always pleasant to the eyes.
Clarity: This map’s clarity is greatly aided by the use of different colors for different regions of the city. There are some small labels on the map that could be increased in size to draw a little more attention to those areas.
Legibility: Overall legibility of the map is exceptional. There are no real problems being able to identify different features or labels.
Visual Hierarchy: Like I said before the background of this map needs to be softer. Also, I would like to see the text with a slightly different shade of the current color it is placed on. This could give the text a little more “pop” and make the map that much more visually appealing.