The Guide to Map Design

Cartography is a design and data synthesis that balances information, color, readability, and accuracy. The essentials of good visual communication are key to making a map that guides while encouraging visual exploration and quick comprehension.

Modern mapping tools and technologies allow product owners to architect elegant, considered mapping experiences for their products and end users. Tools like Mapbox Studio and Mapbox GL JS, give product owners control not only over the look and feel of their maps, but also over the map's responsiveness to user inputs, environments, and other factors.

Why design custom maps?

As you navigate the world it’s important to know where you are in relationship to where you are going. It’s also important to understand context along the way—what will you find on the way from here to there? Designing a custom map for your brand or product allows you to:

• Keep users visually connected to your brand and in your app as they use the map.
• Highlight or downplay information as necessary to your map's use case.
• Design a basemap for your data and product narrative to build interactions upon.
• Integrate user inputs and environments into their experience with your brand in real-time.