{"id":121401,"date":"2012-04-30T06:00:42","date_gmt":"2012-04-30T06:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/product\/uncategorized\/the-basic-building-blocks-of-arcgis-symbols\/"},"modified":"2012-04-30T06:00:42","modified_gmt":"2012-04-30T06:00:42","slug":"the-basic-building-blocks-of-arcgis-symbols","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/product\/mapping\/the-basic-building-blocks-of-arcgis-symbols","title":{"rendered":"The basic building blocks of ArcGIS symbols"},"author":4331,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":""},"categories":[22941],"tags":[24121,30791,38461,31301],"industry":[],"product":[],"class_list":["post-121401","blog","type-blog","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mapping","tag-caribbean","tag-color","tag-picture","tag-symbology"],"acf":{"short_description":"By Aileen Buckley, Mapping Center Lead\n\n\n\nIn ArcGIS, symbols are used not only to draw and label geographic features, but also to display...","flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<p><strong>By Aileen Buckley, Mapping Center Lead<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/downloads.esri.com\/MappingCenter2007\/blog\/Apr12Images\/ArcGISSymbols_Thumb.png\" border=\"0\" alt=\"ArcGIS Symbols - Thumbnail\" hspace=\"5\" align=\"left\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In ArcGIS, symbols are used not only to draw and label geographic features, but also to display various map elements, such as legends, scale bars and north arrows. They are also\u00a0used to display\u00a0any graphics you may add to the map, such as bounding boxes, logos, and text.<\/p>\n<p>Because they are used so extensively, you may sometimes want to create your own symbols. Before you do this, it would be helpful to understand the basic building blocks of symbols.<\/p>\n<p>There are three primary building blocks\u2014fonts, colors, and pictures. To help you gain a deeper understanding of these basic building blocks and how they are used in ArcGIS symbols, we have written a series of three blog posts, each of which is dedicated to one of the building blocks.<!--more--><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a title=\"Mapping Blog: Fonts in ArcGIS symbols\" href=\"http:\/\/blogs.esri.com\/esri\/arcgis\/2012\/03\/28\/fonts-in-arcgis-symbols\/\">Fonts in ArcGIS symbols<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Mapping Blog: Colors in ArcGIS symbols\" href=\"http:\/\/blogs.esri.com\/esri\/arcgis\/2012\/04\/12\/colors-in-arcgis-symbols\/\">Colors in ArcGIS symbols<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Mapping Blog: Pictures in ArcGIS symbols\" href=\"http:\/\/blogs.esri.com\/esri\/arcgis\/2012\/04\/26\/pictures-in-arcgis-symbols\/\">Pictures in ArcGIS symbols<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>????Note that we are talking here about 2D symbols\u2014things are a little different for 3D symbols, and cartographic representations treat symbols a little differently as well.<strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In these blog entries, our goal is to explain how symbols and styles work so that you have greater control over map design and gain more efficiency in map production. We explain how symbols are created and managed in ArcGIS, and we offer tips that can be used to work with symbols more efficiently. The proper management of symbols and styles can help you make what we call\u00a0\u201cwell-behaved maps\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Here, we&#8217;ll share a few basics about the symbols used in mapmaking. Symbols are signs on maps that carry geographical meaning to the map reader. They are assigned to what cartographers call \u201cgraphic marks.\u201d A GIS user will think of these as the basic points, lines and polygons on the map to apply symbology to. Text is a symbol on a map as well, and rasters can also be symbolized.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Cynthia Brewer shares some really nice graphic examples of the visual variables in her book, <a title=\"Esri Press: Designing Better Maps\" href=\"http:\/\/esripress.esri.com\/display\/index.cfm?fuseaction=display&amp;websiteID=95&amp;moduleID=0\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Designing Better Maps: A Guide for GIS Users<\/em><\/a> (figure 1). She also explains these in detail so I don&#8217;t need to address them here.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/downloads.esri.com\/MappingCenter2007\/blog\/Apr12Images\/ArcGISSymbols_DBM_pg1.png\" border=\"0\" alt=\"ArcGIS Symbols - DBM - page 1\" hspace=\"5\" width=\"350\" align=\"middle\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/downloads.esri.com\/MappingCenter2007\/blog\/Apr12Images\/ArcGISSymbols_DBM_pg2.png\" border=\"0\" alt=\"ArcGIS Symbols - DBM - page 2\" hspace=\"5\" width=\"350\" align=\"middle\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>Figure 1. A couple of pages out of Brewer&#8217;s<\/em> <a title=\"esri Press: Designing Better Maps\" href=\"http:\/\/esripress.esri.com\/display\/index.cfm?fuseaction=display&amp;websiteID=95&amp;moduleID=0\" target=\"_blank\">Designing Better Maps<\/a><em> book<\/em><\/p>\n<p>To illustrate how symbols are used on maps, we can look at some examples of how geographic data is symbolized on a map made by David Barnes, Esri Product Engineer (figure 2).\u00a0This map of the Caribbean Sea was compiled to look like a historical map.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/downloads.esri.com\/MappingCenter2007\/blog\/Apr12Images\/CaribbeanMap.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/downloads.esri.com\/MappingCenter2007\/blog\/Apr12Images\/ArcGISSymbols_CaribbeanSeaMap.png\" border=\"0\" alt=\"ArcGIS Symbols - Caribbean Sea map\" hspace=\"5\" align=\"middle\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Figure 2. The Caribbean Sea map <strong>(Click on the image to see a PDF of the map at full size)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>On this map there are some special point, line, and polygon symbols, along with some wonderful text.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Hillsigns: <\/em><\/strong>The hills are symbolized using what cartographers call \u201chillsigns\u201d\u2014pictographic symbols that look a bit like the features they symbolize (figure 3). These are actually marker symbols that have been applied to different classes of physiographic features, such as hills, mountains, and mountain ranges.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/downloads.esri.com\/MappingCenter2007\/blog\/Apr12Images\/ArcGISSymbols_Hillsigns.png\" border=\"0\" alt=\"ArcGIS Symbols - Hillsigns\" hspace=\"5\" align=\"middle\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>Figure 3. Hillsigns<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Rhumb lines: <\/em><\/strong>\u201cRhumb lines\u201d, or lines of constant direction, were digitized using the compass roses to connect lines that have the same bearing (figure 4). The beautiful compass roses were added to the map as north arrow symbols.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/downloads.esri.com\/MappingCenter2007\/blog\/Apr12Images\/ArcGISSymbols_RhumbLines.png\" border=\"0\" alt=\"ArcGIS Symbols - Rhumb lines\" hspace=\"5\" align=\"middle\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>Figure 4. Rhumb lines<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Coastal rakes: <\/em><\/strong>David used some special line pattern fills to emphasize the land-water interface along the coasts (figure 5). This technique is a variation on the <a title=\"Mapping Blog: Symbolizing world water\" href=\"http:\/\/blogs.esri.com\/esri\/arcgis\/2010\/02\/01\/symbolizing-world-water\/\">coastal<\/a> (or <a title=\"Mapping Blog: Symbolizing shorelines\" href=\"http:\/\/blogs.esri.com\/esri\/arcgis\/2009\/03\/05\/symbolizing-shorelines\/\">shoreline<\/a>) vignettes that we have blogged about in the past. These coastal rakes were created by assigning the buffers with different line pattern fills.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/downloads.esri.com\/MappingCenter2007\/blog\/Apr12Images\/ArcGISSymbols_CoastalRakes.png\" border=\"0\" alt=\"ArcGIS Symbols - Coastal rakes\" hspace=\"5\" align=\"middle\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>Figure 5. Coastal rakes<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Ocean art: <\/em><\/strong>David also did some clever things with marker symbols to add ocean art to the map by placing marker symbols illustrating ships and sea serpents in the water areas (figure 6).<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/downloads.esri.com\/MappingCenter2007\/blog\/Apr12Images\/ArcGISSymbols_OceanArt.png\" border=\"0\" alt=\"ArcGIS Symbols - Ocean art\" hspace=\"5\" align=\"middle\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>Figure 6. Ocean art<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Type: <\/em><\/strong>And finally, note some of the wonderful things that he did with type\u2014like labels for the Caribbean Sea and other water bodies (figure 7), as well as the information in the map\u2019s cartouche (see the thumbnail for this blog entry) .<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/downloads.esri.com\/MappingCenter2007\/blog\/Apr12Images\/ArcGISSymbols_Type.png\" border=\"0\" alt=\"ArcGIS Symbols - Type\" hspace=\"5\" align=\"middle\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>Figure 7. Type<\/em><\/p>\n<p>So, you can see that you can achieve some great symbology with ArcGIS. But to really take advantage of the symbol design interface where you can create and modify symbols, it helps to know the fundamentals about symbology in ArcGIS. To learn more, read about the three building blocks of ArcGIS symbols: <a title=\"Mapping Blog: Fonts in ArcGIS symbols\" href=\"http:\/\/blogs.esri.com\/esri\/arcgis\/2012\/03\/28\/fonts-in-arcgis-symbols\/\">fonts<\/a>, <a title=\"Mapping Blog: Colors in ArcGIS symbols\" href=\"http:\/\/blogs.esri.com\/esri\/arcgis\/2012\/04\/12\/colors-in-arcgis-symbols\/\">colors<\/a>, and <a title=\"Mapping Blog: Pictures in ArcGIS symbols\" href=\"http:\/\/blogs.esri.com\/esri\/arcgis\/2012\/04\/26\/pictures-in-arcgis-symbols\/\">pictures<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>To learn more about the Caribbean Sea map and how it was made, download the \u201cHistorical Map Effects with ArcGIS\u201d presentation from Mapping Center\u2019s Other Resources &gt; <a title=\"Mapping Center: Other Resources &gt; Presentations\" href=\"http:\/\/mappingcenter.esri.com\/index.cfm?fa=resources.presentationsOlder\" target=\"_blank\">Presentations (2008 and older) page<\/a>. In the bottom notes for the slides, you will find step-by-step instructions for using ArcGIS to make these and other symbols on the map.<\/p>\n<p>You can also download the Historical style, which contains the symbology for this and other beautiful maps that look historical from Mapping Center\u2019s ArcGIS Resources &gt; <a title=\"Mapping Center: ArcGIS Resources &gt; Styles\" href=\"http:\/\/mappingcenter.esri.com\/index.cfm?fa=arcgisResources.gateway\" target=\"_blank\">Styles page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em>Thanks to David Barnes, Esri Product Engineer, for his Caribbean Sea map.<\/em><\/p>\n"}],"authors":[{"ID":4331,"user_firstname":"Aileen","user_lastname":"Buckley","nickname":"Aileen Buckley","user_nicename":"abuckley","display_name":"Aileen Buckley","user_email":"abuckley@esri.com","user_url":"","user_registered":"2018-03-02 00:15:57","user_description":"Dr. Aileen Buckley is a cartographer researcher and Senior Principal GIS Engineer at Esri. I'm on the ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World Team, making, writing, and talking about maps. I'm also involved in a number of cartographic societies and association, and I'm the chair of the ICA Ethics in Cartography Commission.","user_avatar":"<img data-del=\"avatar\" src='https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Aileen.jpg' class='avatar pp-user-avatar avatar-96 photo ' height='96' width='96'\/>"}]},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.9 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The basic building blocks of ArcGIS symbols<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/product\/mapping\/the-basic-building-blocks-of-arcgis-symbols\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The basic building blocks of ArcGIS symbols\" 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I'm on the ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World Team, making, writing, and talking about maps. I'm also involved in a number of cartographic societies and association, and I'm the chair of the ICA Ethics in Cartography Commission.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/buckley.aileen\/","linkedin.com\/in\/aileenbuckley"],"honorificPrefix":"Dr.","honorificSuffix":"PhD","gender":"female","award":["Chair of the ICA Commission on Ethics in Cartography"],"knowsAbout":["Cartography","GIS"],"knowsLanguage":["English"],"jobTitle":"Research Cartographer","worksFor":"Esri","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/author\/abuckley"}]}},"text_date":"April 30, 2012","author_name":"Aileen Buckley","author_page":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/author\/abuckley","custom_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Newsroom-Keyart-Wide-1920-x-1080.jpg","primary_product":false,"tag_data":[{"term_id":24121,"name":"Caribbean","slug":"caribbean","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":24121,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":4,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":30791,"name":"color","slug":"color","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":30791,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":31,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":38461,"name":"picture","slug":"picture","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":38461,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":3,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":31301,"name":"symbols and symbology","slug":"symbology","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":31301,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":194,"filter":"raw"}],"category_data":[{"term_id":22941,"name":"Mapping","slug":"mapping","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":22941,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":2692,"filter":"raw"}],"product_data":[],"primary_product_link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/121401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/blog"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4331"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121401"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/121401\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121401"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=121401"},{"taxonomy":"product","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product?post=121401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}