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How to Smart Map: Color & Size

Show relationships within your data using smart mapping

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This quick guide introduces the best ways to tell captivating stories with your maps by using both size and color to represent your data values.

Map with Color, Map with Size

In some cases, using color to represent data values just makes sense. Other times, the size of a symbol creates a clear story for the smallest and largest values. But what if you could use both of these techniques within the same map?

What if I told you that you can?

Smart mapping allows you to choose two attributes from your data and visualize the patterns from each attribute in a single map. One attribute is shown with color, while the other is shown with size (to show some sort of quantity). 

First, choose an attribute from your data. The first attribute you choose will be shown with color.

Then, simply "Add attribute" to represent a second attribute using symbol size.

The first attribute is shown with color, the second attribute is shown with size

Why Use Both?

Maps use color as a representation of the values within your data. For example, color can showcase valuable patterns about time, categories, or any numeric data value.

Color is used to show patterns, such as median age

Mapping with size, on the other hand, helps to show the quantity of something.

Size is used to represent a count or amount.

Combining the use of color and size can help tell a more detailed story about your data, by showcasing multiple topics at once.

Smart mapping with two attributes maps both values at once.


Let's see an example:

How is it done?

Let's go through another example together step-by-step:

Overall, it can be broken down into two simple steps:

1: Select two attributes

2: Explore the options for both color and size

You're only a few clicks away from interesting and informative maps that tell multiple stories at once.

Also, if you ever find yourself wanting to switch your size and color attributes, don't worry. There's a button for that:


What Next?

Mapping with both size and color opens the door to endless possibilities of maps. You'll see patterns and relationships within your datasets that you may not have found otherwise. 

It is easy to try on your own datasets! Explore patterns by choosing different combinations of your attributes. 

Need some inspiration? Check out the maps listed at the end of this story map, and explore their smart mapping configurations. 

Also, you can visit many other smart mapping resources:

     - Change Style Help Pages

     - How to Smart Map

     - How to Smart Map: Color

     - Six Easy Ways to Improve Your Maps

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