Introduction

These entries loosely follow a template first outlined in 1977 by Christopher Alexander and his colleagues in their seminal book A Pattern Language.

Each pattern includes:

• a short title
• a rating
• a brief description of a problem or conflict (in bold)
• a brief description of a solution

I use a simple rating system to indicate how widely each pattern applies to mapmaking.

Importance	Description
	Applies to all maps; there are few, if any, exceptions.
	Applies to the majority of maps, though not all; exceptions exist, but are uncommon.
	Applies to many maps, but not the majority; often context-dependent.
	Applies only to specific cases; relevant for a few maps.

I’ve organized the patterns into thematic categories. The order suggests a sequence of decisions you might consider as you begin designing an original map.

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