Markers Tab

The Markers tab controls how your data points look on the map. This is where you set marker colors, shapes, sizes, and label styling. Changes made here apply globally or per-dataset and affect both the live map display and all exports.

The tab has two sections: Markers (the visual appearance of the dot/shape itself) and Labels (the text that appears next to each marker).

Markers

Feature	Control	Description
Marker color scheme	Dropdown	Selects the color palette used for marker colors across all datasets. Five schemes are available: Standard (vivid primary colors for maximum distinction), Pitchbook (professional blue/orange tones inspired by financial data visualization), Slate (dark muted greys for understated presentation), Warm (browns and oranges for warm-toned maps), and Slate Grey Light (soft grey-blue for subtle markers). Changing the scheme updates the color swatch grid below but does NOT automatically recolor existing datasets. It only changes what colors are available for selection. Your current dataset colors are preserved until you manually change them.
Color swatch grid	Display	Visual reference showing the 8 colors in the currently selected color scheme. Each swatch is a small colored square that gives you a quick preview of the palette. This helps you see at a glance what colors are available before assigning them to individual datasets.
Per-dataset shape	Button group (3)	Selects the marker shape for each dataset. Three shapes are available: Circle (filled circle, the default — the most common and visually balanced marker shape), Square (rendered as a rotated 45-degree diamond, not an upright square — distinctive and professional), and Star (5-pointed star — bold and attention-grabbing). Shape applies to ALL markers in the dataset. Using different shapes for different datasets helps viewers distinguish groups when colors alone might not be enough (e.g. in printed grayscale maps). All shapes are rendered as SVG paths in both live display and exports.
Per-dataset color	Color swatches + hex	Sets the marker fill color for each dataset. You can click a swatch from the active color scheme palette for quick selection, or enter a custom hex color code in the text input for exact brand-color matching. The color applies to all non-HQ markers in the dataset. Colors are preserved when you switch color schemes, so you won't lose custom colors by changing palettes.
Per-dataset size	Slider (0.5–2.0x)	Overrides the global default marker size for a specific dataset. This multiplier is applied to the base marker radius (9px on screen, 11px in exports). Useful when you want visual hierarchy: primary locations could be 1.5x while secondary locations stay at 1.0x, making it immediately clear which markers are more important. A reset button appears when an override is active.
Per-dataset size reset	Button	Removes the per-dataset size override, reverting to the global default marker size. Only appears when a per-dataset override is active for that dataset.
HQ color	Color swatches + hex	Sets the marker color for all HQ (headquarters) locations across all datasets. This is applied globally — every dataset shares the same HQ color. Default is amber (#D97706). The HQ color ensures the headquarters marker stands out visually from all other markers regardless of which dataset it belongs to.
Default marker size	Slider (0.5–2.0x)	Sets the global default marker size multiplier that applies to all datasets without a per-dataset size override. At 1.0x, markers are 9px radius on screen and 11px in exports. Larger values (1.5–2.0x) make all markers more prominent and easier to see from a distance (good for projected presentations). Smaller values (0.5–0.8x) create more subtle markers that don't dominate the map (good for dense data or when the map itself is the focus).
HQ as star	Checkbox	When enabled (the default), HQ markers are rendered as 5-pointed stars regardless of their dataset's shape setting. This makes the headquarters location instantly identifiable no matter what. When disabled, HQ markers use the same shape as their dataset (circle, diamond, or star) but still use the distinct HQ color. The star shape provides the strongest visual distinction for the headquarters location.
White outline	Checkbox	Toggles a white stroke border around all markers. Default is ON. The border width is 22% of the marker radius, creating a clean edge that visually separates markers from the map background beneath them. This outline helps markers stand out against both light and dark map backgrounds. Disabling this creates flat, borderless markers that blend more naturally with the map and look more like data visualization dots. Affects both screen rendering and exports.
Show numbers	Checkbox	When enabled, displays a sequential index number inside each marker (1, 2, 3, etc.). Numbers are rendered in white IBM Plex Mono font, sized proportionally to the marker. This is useful when your map accompanies a numbered list, table, or legend — viewers can match marker "3" on the map to row 3 in your table. Default is OFF. Numbers are 1-based (first location is 1, not 0).

Labels

Label controls affect the text that appears next to each data marker on the map. These are separate from base map labels (city names, country names, etc. controlled in the Map tab). Marker labels show the geocoded location name or your custom label override.

Feature	Control	Description
Per-dataset label visibility	Checkbox	Toggles location name labels on or off for each dataset independently. When OFF, markers for the dataset still appear on the map but without any text labels. This is useful when some datasets should show labels (e.g. primary offices with "New York HQ") while others should not (e.g. a dataset with hundreds of small locations where labels would create visual chaos).
Per-dataset label background	Button group	Selects the background style for labels in each dataset. White adds a white rectangular background behind the text, providing maximum readability regardless of what's behind the label on the map. None renders text directly on the map with only the text halo for contrast, creating a lighter, more integrated look. Default is White. The choice affects how labels appear in both live rendering and exports.
Label font	Dropdown	Selects the font family for all marker labels. Three options are available: Default (IBM Plex Mono — a monospace technical font that gives maps a data-driven, analytical feel), Arial (a clean, universally available sans-serif), and Calibri (the standard Microsoft presentation font, matching PowerPoint's default). The font affects both screen rendering and SVG/PNG exports. Note: these are marker label fonts only. Base map labels (city names, country names) use a different font controlled by the theme.
Label position	Button group	Controls where labels appear relative to their markers. Above centers the label above the marker (the default, works well for most maps). Right positions the label to the right of the marker. "Right" can reduce vertical overlap when locations are stacked at similar latitudes, since labels extend horizontally instead of all stacking above their markers.
Label size	Slider (8–18px)	Sets the font size for all marker labels in pixels. Default is 11px. Larger sizes (14–18px) make labels easier to read, especially in projected presentations, but may cause more overlap when markers are close together. Smaller sizes (8–10px) are more subtle and cause less overlap. Affects both screen display and exports.
Text color	Color picker + hex	Sets the text color for all marker labels. Default is very dark blue (#1B2333), which provides strong contrast against the white label backgrounds. Lighter colors create a more subtle label presence. Consider your base map's color palette when choosing: dark text works well on light maps, but you might want lighter label text on dark-themed maps.
Halo size	Slider (0–3.0)	Controls the width of an outline effect around marker label text. Default is 0 (no halo). At 1–2, a subtle outline improves readability when labels overlap complex map features (roads, boundaries, other labels). The halo acts as a text shadow that prevents the label from visually blending into the map background. Most useful when label background is set to "None".
Halo color	Color picker + hex	Sets the color of the marker label text outline. Default is white (#FFFFFF). A white halo around dark text provides the best readability on most map backgrounds. Can be set to match the map background for a more integrated, less prominent look.

Data Views