# Mapmaking Discussion & Philosophy (WIP/Critique) > General and Miscellaneous Mapping >  Map help/critique

## Ser_Derpsalot

So, I am brand new to map-making, this site, and forums in general, so I apologize if I mess something up...  Anyways, this is a map of Aralynd, the continent my homebrew D&D campaign is set in.  I first made it using Inkarnate, then moved it over to Wonderdraft a couple months back.  I would like advice specifically on the mountain ranges' realism and the labelling, but since I don't really know what I'm doing, any advice is welcome.

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## Kellerica

First of all, welcome to the Guild! Congrats on getting your feet wet, you're off to a good start!

Somebody else might be better to advice you on the nitty-gritty of the geological aspects than me, but there is something about your rivers that bothers me a tad. There is one clear case where a lake has two outlet rivers (the two surrounding Corseaux), which is not how it should be, but then there are others where I can't quite tell if it's a river outlet or just coast. It might be a good idea to better distinguish what is a river, and what it ocean between a coastline and an island hugging it. Just making the rivers more narrow might serve the purpose. Also, is there a reason for that snowy area to be there in the middle of the continent? I'm not an expert on climates, but I'd think a colder area wouldn't naturally stand in the middle of warmer zones like that. Of course, if there is a magical reason to its existence, that's a different story. 

Now, from a design perspective, which is more my cup of tea, the one thing that stands out to me is that your map doesn't have a very coherent style going for it. You have at least three separate mountain styles in there, and most of them in different colors than others. I'd pick one style and stick with it, and if different colors were to be used, I'd go with more subtle hues. In addition to that, you have an awful lot of different fonts used here. A good rule of thumb in map-making and any other design work is to stick with two fonts per work (in rare cases a third may be acceptable in small quantities), and ideally they should be ones that contrast each other rather than have them be similar. A clear type together with a script, a serif together with a sans-serif, that kind of thing. All of these things will help your work look less restless and more purposeful.

I don't know if any of this helps you, but that's my two cents. As I said before, welcome to the Guild ranks!  :Smile:  You're definitely on the right track here. Seeing this immediately got my own creative juices flowing too, it has a really nice atmosphere to it that just makes me think of grand adventures. Keep at it!

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