Mapme offers powerful options to customize your map elements. Whether you’re styling routes between locations with directional arrows or adjusting the opacity of country fill colors, these customization options help create more effective and visually appealing maps.
Examples
Note: Customization options vary between lines and shapes (polygons, circles).
Color and Opacity
Customize the color and opacity of lines and shapes. Select from preset colors or use the color picker to choose your own.
Customizations for Lines
These styling options apply to both manually drawn lines and automatically generated path lines between markers.
Width
Control the thickness of lines with these guidelines:
- Default: 5 pixels
- Recommended range: 1-25 pixels
- Warning: Values above 25 may appear disproportionate on most maps
Dash and Gap Patterns
Create dashed lines by specifying:
- Dash length: The visible segment length (first field)
- Gap length: The space between dashes (second field)
Line Style Pattern
Apply a pattern to your line, such as arrows or dots, to show direction or style:
- Use directional arrows to indicate route flow
- Apply themed patterns to differentiate line types (hiking trails, bike paths, etc.)
For detailed instructions on using image patterns, see our guide: Enhance Your Interactive Maps with Image Patterns.
Blur Effect
Soften line edges to create a more blended appearance:
- Default: 1 (subtle effect)
- Higher values create progressively softer, more diffused lines
- Particularly effective for highlighting approximate routes or areas of influence
Path Outline
Add a contrasting border around lines to make them stand out against the map background. Set to zero for standard lines without outlines.
Customizations for Shapes
The following options are available for customizing shapes such as countries, states, or custom polygons.
Outline Mode
Display shapes with no fill and a customized outline. The outline-only display option allows you to:
- Show only the borders of geographic areas
- Apply any line styling option to shape outlines
- Create cleaner, less cluttered maps when highlighting multiple regions
Pro Tip: To create a shape with both a customized border and fill, create two separate layers—one with Outline-Only Display for the border and another for the fill. This approach gives you complete control over both elements.
Shape Fill Pattern
Fill the shape with a pattern like dots or stripes to enhance visibility or style. Benefits include:
- Better visual differentiation between map areas
- Improved accessibility for users with color perception limitations
- More engaging and informative visual representation
Outline Color
Add a simple colored outline around shapes. Key limitations:
- Fixed width of 1 pixel that cannot be changed
- Often barely visible at standard zoom levels
- No support for dash patterns or other advanced line styling
Pro Tip: If you need control over border width, dash patterns, or other advanced styling, use the Outline Mode option. This provides full access to line customization features for your shape borders.
Example
Here are examples of U.S. states with different styling options:
- Outline only – Displays only the state’s border.
- Fill – Colors the entire area of the state.
- Outline and fill – Uses separate layers to show both the border and the fill.