This question only applies to older archived posts (pre-2015) when all my sky charts were done by hand. There really aren’t that many symbols to learn. Here’s a graphic summary explaining my labeling format:
Newer charts are created with Cartes du Ciel (Sky Chart) which uses its own symbols. Here's an example:
And here's the key:
Constellation names are in yellow.
All other labels are in white (stars, planets, Moon, extended objects).
The Moon is shown with its correct size and phase.
Stars and planets are small white discs with larger sizes corresponding to greater brightness.
Extended objects (star clusters, galaxies, asterisms, nebulae) are large colored discs or ellipses.
The Milky Way is shown in a lighter blue compared to the rest of the sky.
Additional annotations are added as needed: star names, indicator circles or arrows, photographs of objects. Sometimes so many objects are displayed that readers might need a little help finding what's relevant.