Create labels

You'll create labels for two layers. You'll write a labeling expression and adjust labeling properties.

  1. If you completed the earlier tutorial Cartographic creations – Refine symbology, reopen Arctic sea ice.aprx. Otherwise, download Cartographic creations 3.ppkx. Double-click the file to open it in ArcGIS Pro.
    Note:

    A .ppkx file is an ArcGIS Pro project package and may contain maps, data, and other files that you can open in ArcGIS Pro. Learn more about managing .ppkx files in this guide.

  2. If prompted, sign in to ArcGIS Pro using your licensed ArcGIS account.
    Note:

    If you don't have access to ArcGIS Pro or an ArcGIS organizational account, see options for software access.

  3. In the Contents pane, right-click Index years and click Label. Right-click Index years again and click Labeling Properties.

    The Label Class pane appears. You'll write an Arcade expression so the labels can convey information from two fields at once: the year and the extent in million square kilometers.

  4. If necessary, in the Label Class pane, click the Class tab and click the Label expression tab.

    Class and Label expression tabs

  5. n the Expression box, delete the existing text and type or copy and paste $feature.Rec_Year + TextFormatting.NewLine + $feature.Rec_Extent.
  6. Uncheck Remove extra spaces.

    Expression box and Remove extra spaces check box

  7. Click Apply.

    The labels show the year on the top line and the extent on the bottom line. You'll modify the expression to round the extent number and to add text for the unit.

    Three stacked labels on the map

  8. In the Expression box, delete $feature.Rec_Extent and type or copy and paste Round($feature.Rec_Extent,2) + " million km2". Click Apply.

    New expression and resulting labels

    The labels are now clearer to understand. You'll change their appearance to better match the warm colors of your map.

  9. In the Label Class pane, click the Symbol tab. In the Appearance section, change the following properties:
    • For Font name, choose Corbel.
    • For Font style, choose Bold Italic.
    • For Size, choose 10 pt.
    • For Color, choose Tecate Dust.

    Symbol properties

    Note:

    If you don't have the Corbel font installed on your computer, choose any other font.

    Tecate Dust is a good color for lines on the map, but it may be too light for text. You'll create a slightly darker version of this color to ensure legible labels.

  10. Open the Color menu again and click Color Properties. In the Color Editor window, change Color Mode to HSL.

    Color Mode set to HSL in the Color Editor window.

    HSL stands for Hue, Saturation, and Lightness. This color model is useful for mixing colors that are similar to existing colors. You will use it to create a color that is perceptibly the same hue and saturation as Tecate Dust, only darker.

  11. Change Lightness to 60 percent and press Enter.

    Lightness set to 60 percent.

  12. Click Save color to style. For Name, type Text. Click OK twice.

    The labels update on the map.

    Updated gold text

    You can save entire symbols to your Favorites style, in addition to colors. Next, you'll save the text symbol, which includes its color and other font properties, so it can be reused later in other parts of the map.

  13. In the Symbology pane, click the Menu button and click Save symbol to style.

    Save symbol to style

  14. For Name, type Gold. Click OK.

    On the map, the labels are stacked into three lines. This feels unnatural since the third line contains the unit descriptor for the second line. You'll adjust the stacking property.

  15. In the Label Class pane, click the Position tab and the Fitting Strategy tab.
  16. Under Stack, uncheck Stack label.

    Stack label unchecked

    The labels now stack over two lines instead of three. The expression you wrote earlier contained the constant TextFormatting.NewLine, which forces a new line after the Year field, regardless of labeling properties.

    Map with finished labels

    The labels are all positioned in the middle of the Arctic Ocean. You'll adjust their position later.

Label the seas

First, you'll make labels for he larger seas in your map's area.

  1. In the Contents pane, turn on the NorthernMarineRegions layer. Drag and drop it above the IceExtent_Raster layer.
  2. Right-click the symbol for NorthernMarineRegions and click No color.

    Symbol for the NorthernMarineRegions layer

    The outlines of the features are still visible. You'll use these lines as guides for labeling and remove them from the map later.

  3. With the NorthernMarineRegions layer selected, on the ribbon, click the Labeling tab. In the Layer group, click Label.

    Label button on the Labeling tab of the ribbon

    Labels appear on the map.

  4. In the Text Symbol group, click Gold.

    Gold text symbol

    You'll adjust their stacking properties of the labels so they stack as much as possible. This will make them more compact and easier to place in tight spaces.

  5. In the Label Class pane, on the Position tab, on the Fitting Strategy tab, in the Stacking separators box, check the first Forced split box.

    Forced split box checked

    This setting will force the labels to split onto a new line after every space.

    There are more labels on this map than are needed to provide geographic context. You'll remove the labels for smaller areas.

  6. Click the Conflict resolution tab.

    Conflict resolution tab

  7. Under Minimum feature size, in the middle menu, type 3,000,000. Leave the other menus set to Perimeter and Map units.

    Minimum feature size set to a 3,000,000 map units perimeter.

    Now, only the larger seas are labeled.

    Map with marine region borders and labels

  8. Close the Label Class pane.

Convert labels to annotation

In ArcGIS, labeling is an automated process, controlled by labeling properties. If you require more control over the position or appearance of individual labels, you can convert them to annotation. You'll convert the labels in this map to annotation and reposition some of them.

  1. Zoom out on the map until you can see the entire Arctic circle.

    Only labels currently in view will be converted to annotation.

  2. In the Contents pane, right-click Ocean and click Label to ensure that labeling is turned off for this layer.

    Label in the Ocean layer's context menu

  3. On the ribbon, click the Map tab, in the Labeling group, click the bottom part of the Convert button and click Convert Labels To Annotation.

    Convert Labels To Annotation

  4. In the Geoprocessing pane, for Conversion Scale, type 22,000,000 and press Enter.

    This will be the scale of the map in your layout later.

  5. Ensure that Convert is set to All layers in map.
  6. For Output Geodatabase, ensure that it is set to Arctic sea ice.gdb.

    Convert Labels To Annotation tool

  7. For the remaining properties, accept the defaults.

    Convert Labels To Annotation tool

  8. Click Run.
  9. Close the Geoprocessing pane.

    Labeling has been turned off for your map layers. A new group layer, named GroupAnno, is added to the Contents pane. It contains two annotation feature classes. These are similar to feature classes—they have attribute tables and they can be modified with layer properties.

    You'll use a blend mode to give the annotation features the same appearance as the Index years layer.

  10. In the Contents pane, ensure that GroupAnno is selected. On the ribbon, click the Group Layer tab.
  11. In the Effects group, change Layer Blend to Linear Burn.

    Layer Blend set to Linear Burn.

    The labels are now easier to read on the orange parts of the map.

    Beaufort Sea label

  12. Save the project.

Edit annotation

Next, you'll edit the annotation features. You'll delete some that aren't useful for your map, and move other ones to new positions.

  1. On the ribbon, click the Edit tab. In the Tools group, click Annotation.

    Annotation button on the Edit tab of the ribbon

  2. On the map, click and drag a box around the Hudson Bay label to select it.

    Selection box around the Hudson Bay label

  3. On the ribbon, in the Features group, click Delete. In the Delete window, click Yes.
  4. Delete the following labels, if they exist:
    • North Pacific Ocean
    • Gulf of Alaska
    • Bering Sea
    • Sea of Okhotsk
    • North Sea
    • North Atlantic Ocean
    • Labrador Sea
    Tip:

    Press and hold the Shift key to select multiple labels at once.

  5. Also delete any labels that are farther south than the ones listed above.
  6. Select the 1980 label. Drag it to place it close to the north coast of Alaska.

    1980 7.67 million km2 label placed near Alaska.

  7. Move the 2000 label close the middle index line.
  8. Move the 2020 label close to the innermost index line.

    Map with positions of all three index year labels

  9. Select the Greenland Sea label. Drag it off of the pink area so it is easier to read. Keep it within the gray lines.

    Greenland Sea label

  10. Move the other labels as you like. Try to place the labels so they don't overlap with other symbol lines.

    Most of the labels are center-aligned, but one or two may be improved by using a different alignment. You'll change the alignment for one of the labels, and you can repeat the steps for other labels if necessary.

  11. Select The North Western Passages label. On the ribbon, on the Edit tab, in the Selection group, click Attributes.

    Attributes button on the Edit tab of the ribbon

  12. If necessary, in the lower half of the Attributes pane, click the Left alignment button.

    Left text alignment button

  13. Ensure that Auto Apply is turned on. On the map, place The North Western Passages label on the largest nearby island (Victoria Island).

    The North Western Passages label on Victoria Island

  14. When you've finished editing labels, on the ribbon, on the Edit tab, in the Selection group, click Clear.

    Clear button on the Edit tab of the ribbon

  15. In the Manage Edits group, click Save. In the Save Edits window, click Yes.
  16. Close the Attributes pane and the Modify Features pane.
  17. In the Contents pane, turn off the NorthernMarineRegions layer.

    NorthernMarineRegions layer turned off

  18. On the Quick Access Toolbar, click Save.

    Save button on the Quick Access Toolbar

    Map with finished labels

In this tutorial, you used an Arcade expression, labeling properties, and annotation editing to create a clearly labeled map. In the next tutorial, you'll design a layout to arrange your map and related information for a poster.

You can find all of the tutorials in this series at Cartographic creations in ArcGIS Pro. You can find more cartography tutorials on the Introduction to Cartography page.