QGIS Map Visualization – Improving Readability of Black and White Maps

color rampqgissymbologyvisualisation

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I need to produce a map using grayscale (QGIS), as this figure will be printed in black and white.

The map is made up of two layers:

  • one cointains the polygon geometry (land cover) – there are five different land cover classes
  • one contains the point geometry (facilities) – there are two different attributes, placed on the polygons of the land cover.
    They advised me to choose two different symbols for the facilities, I opted for the star and the triangle. But when I have to choose the typology of gray for these 7 different elements (5 land cover classes; 2 point attributes), no solution seems to be enough nice to me.

Do you have any advice?

The biggest challenges is to identify two grays for the point layer which are enough visible.

after receiving your tips the new map – closeup – isenter image description here

Best Answer

just some ideas, not a final solution:

  • use grey scale fills for your polygon legend, no colors, since then you have more control over the conversion
  • don't use black fills either for symbols nor for the fills
  • use "Draw Effects" like "outer glow" for your point symbols to highlight them against the background - see pictures below:

enter image description here

enter image description here

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