Cartogram Label Bubbling

Here's a little helper for those considering travel at this time to the Middle East courtesy of the Daily Mail graphics team.

What do you notice about it?

As with many such guides, the broad brush of national boundaries can be sticky. As I'm sure places like Istanbul and Cairo would protest. Then there's the demarcations. Tricky to deduce what separates one grade from those adjacent.

Yet at least the colour scheme is there. With an unusual yet welcome shades on the traditional green through amber to red traffic light based spectrum.

Hopefully adding up to make this at least a tad more memorable than your typical such map.

Yet this was my secondary view. For there was a glitch in the matrix upon first clicking in. Halting progress with map not fully loading.

Shorn of colour, only place labels and legend text appear.

I've always liked cartograms denuded of territory lines. So this was pleasant to see. For it made me instantly think of how we can build on it for ourselves to make more lasting impact.

As but one example, here's my quick remix. Using those initial colours and adapting labels for a 'bubble chart' effect with font sizing to match alarm level.

Anything that disrupts our audience, makes them sit up a bit, and let's them work something out for themselves that they then feel good about 'getting' is our friend. Here's an option to keep at hand for the day such opportunity next occurs.