The title of the map is superimposed on top of the data frame using graphic elements in the layout.
What: A common technique for maximizing the amount of page dedicated to the map body is to superimpose other map elements (e.g., titles, text blocks, legends) on top of the map in regions that are not important to what the map is communicating.
In the ESRI Lunch Specials map, we superimposed the title in the upper left corner. Why: This allowed us to claim the highest visual level on the page since that is where the eye begins to scan the page. The reason for placing this text here is that it is most important information on the map; we needed readers to see it immediately.
On the ESRI Lunch Specials map, this design additionally worked well because the backwards "L" shape is reflected in the geography along the marina and up into the Gas Lamp District). If the relevant geography was another shape, for example, a rectangular, then we would have used a different layout design.
How: To create the graphics that were to superimposed on the data frame we did the following:
- The first step was to create a rectangle in the layout view and then we positioned it over the upper left corner of the data frame.
- Next, we changed the symbol for the rectangle so the color was white, the outline width was 0.0 pts., and the outline color was set to No Color.
- Then we drew two graphic lines along the bottom and right sides of the white rectangle that aligned to the border of the data frame.
- We set the symbol for these lines by using the same symbol was used for the data frame’s border.
TIP
If you use a cartographic line symbol rather than a simple line symbol to symbolize the data frame and the two lines that define the new clipped boundary edge then the butt line cap option is available to use. This squares off the line ends making the connections of the frame edge and the two line edges crisp and clean looking. This also matches the other corners of the data frame’s border.
For example, in this streetmap, to reproduce the same effect with a rectangle using Clipping Shape, you have to draw an "L-shape" shape in a shapefile and in geographic coordinate! Imagine you need an A4 size text box upper-left, you need to translate it into geographic coordinate! Using Clipping Shape becomes tough!
The best and the simpliest would be a mask function in the Layout View. You could simply draw any graphic shape in Layout View and apply it as a mask. Easier to design and grids would follow the Data Frame...
However, when you set a border line to the Data Frame, it doesn't follow the limits of the Clipped Data Frame! Borders follows just a regular rectangle. Moreover, if you try to add a grid, the automatic labels spil over on the L-shaped clipped part! If I could, I would send a screenshoot to illustrate the problems. One could suggest to use the polygon graphic made in the Layout View, but it seems to be no option to use the same borders (such as double-line), and offsets, as borders for a Data Frame.
I still cannot perform a L-shape Data-Frame and keeping an appropriate border and grid labels. So, this is not over...
On the grid, well, I tried an L-shaped clipping shape and my grid has issues--some of the labels straddled the interior angles of the L. Unfortunately, that's a bug and has been reported to the proper authorities (so to speak) and some work has already been done to address this in the forthcoming 9.3 version. The workaround (in the meantime) is to convert the grid to graphics (bottom-most button on the Grids tab of Data Frame Properties), and manually align the grid labels.
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It would be nice if the data frame could be re-shaped to a shape of my choosing using the "reshape/anchor points" along the corners and edge of the layout frame.
Clipping the data within a rectangular data frame is a good start. But why restrict the data frame to a rectangle? Iwould add much more flexibility if I could pick and choose my data frame shape and size.