SANJIESAN LORE / Map lettering
Move a map label without moving the place
A long name squeezed between two ports can appear to label the wrong one. QGIS documentation separates text formatting from label placement and describes callouts connecting displaced labels to features. The same distinction is useful in a hand-drawn fantasy map: the label may move for readability while the place remains where the story established it.
Mark the location independently of its text
Put a small, unambiguous mark at each port before placing names. Keep the marks on a separate working layer if your process allows it. Then add the longest name first and compare its relationship to both ports. Do not move a harbour to fit a word unless the geographic change is intentional and checked elsewhere. The name is a communication element, while the location has consequences for the setting.
Choose a readable connection
Try a nearby placement, a sensible line break or a restrained callout. A callout should have a clear start and end, and should not cross another label in a way that creates a new ambiguity. If the map needs many such lines, simplify the displayed scope or provide a more detailed inset rather than forcing every name into the same crowded corner. Keep the text’s reading direction comfortable.
Test by naming the feature
At the final reading size, ask someone to point to each port by name. Inspect whether the answer follows your intention without an explanation from you. Then check that the exported image preserved the connection and that any revised text still uses the approved place name. A map can be visually elegant and still fail this simple task; solving the ambiguity matters more than preserving a preferred label position.