Hi there! Since we are celebrating our 10th anniversary and we have extended an open invitation to everyone to create a minimap this year, I think now is a great time to update our guide to the (now) ancient art (and science) of minimapping.
If you’re familiar with the project, you know that creating a minimap provides an alternative way to experience a city. You can highlight places, things, activities, and scenery that are special to you in any way you want. This creates a more personal connection with the recipients of your map. If you love artisanal beer, secret gardens, or strolling around for hours, you can create a minimap and share your expertise with other beer lovers, garden appreciators, or determined strollers.
I know some people are reluctant to share their favorite spots in cities that are overrun by tourists. However, a small influx of customers can be just what small, long-established businesses need to survive. Believe me, creating a minimap won’t result in hordes of people flocking to your favourite place; you’ll just be recommending it to a few like-minded travelers. After all, a minimap is like traveling with a friend of a friend. That’s why we have short profiles of all our collaborators, editors and illustrators. It’s a personal, caring approach.
Ideally, the themes can be as personal as the minimaps. You could recommend the best cafés or newest restaurants. We’ve all collected a few of those while traveling and found the recommendations handy. However, you could also be quirky and share your favorite benches for reading books in parks, the best kiosks in town for buying used magazines, or seven places for watching clouds.
The invitation to get involved is always open. Here are seven steps you can follow. It’s super easy and fun, and I look forward to seeing what you’ve created!
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1. Locate the seven places you want to share using Google Maps
Using Google Maps is not mandatory but it helps to keep the minimap somewhat accurate and makes it easier to use and understand… but hey, if you want to make an abstract, cubist, or psychedelic minimap, please, be our guest!
2. Frame the area in a circle
Yes, all minimaps are round! That’s our trademark!
3. Locate the main roads, parks and transportation options
Again, not mandatory but these are references that will help the user of your minimap navigate the area.
4. Choose a colour palette that you like
This is usually one of the hardest steps for me. I usually start by choosing a couple of colours that resonate with the city that I have in my mind, but I keep coming back to this step and tweaking and adjusting hues until I’m absolutely sure the colours I have picked work well together and with the landmarks and icons.
5. Draw landmarks that give your map its own identity
Iconic landmarks are usually what make people easily recognise the part of town you are showcasing in your minimap. In this example this is a Paris minimap and we are on the Sacre Coeur area, so the two bigger landmarks here are Sacre Coeur and the Moulin Rouge (:
6. Draw icons for each of the chosen places
As with the landmarks it is easier to recognise what is special about the places you are featuring by adding a simple icon. If you want you could also add the name of the place next to the number, or instead of icons you could play with fonts and make it a typographic map.
7. Put everything together!
When putting together all the elements you created for the map you should aim for a balanced composition. I recommend that you take this into account from the very beginning when choosing the seven places.
This is a very simple map created entirely in Illustrator, if you are into Procrate or Photoshop you could also add textures or other effects.
You made it! You curated your first route and illustrated your first minimap!
Share your work with us by using the hashtag #superminimaps
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