Skip to content
219+ plans · available now · commercial license
SCHWARZPLAN.EU
Guide

Create a location map

A location map is a simplified map extent showing the way to a destination. Six steps build it from a base map you are allowed to use – and that is exactly where most attempts fail: a screenshot from a map service does not belong on your own letterhead.

To the guide ↓ Open the map
6 steps
Legal position · tools · export

The base map first

Which map are you allowed to use?

This question belongs at the start, not the end. A finished sketch on the wrong base is wasted work, and the cease-and-desist letter arrives only once the flyer is printed.

In short: a screenshot from Google Maps may not go on your own flyer, letterhead or invitation. OpenStreetMap may – commercially too, with attribution. That is the whole difference, and it decides half the work.

Base map On your own printed matter Condition
Screenshot from Google Maps, Apple Maps, Bing Maps not permitted The terms permit embedding the map on a website, not freely reusing an extent on your own printed matter
OpenStreetMap permitted Attribution “© OpenStreetMap contributors”; passing the data on as a dataset again under the ODbL
Open geodata from the federal states permitted Usually Datenlizenz Deutschland – attribution as specified by the state
Licensed vector city map permitted Under the terms of the licence you bought
Drawn from scratch, no source permitted None – but it takes time

This overview describes common practice and is not legal advice. In case of doubt, the terms of use of the source in question apply.

Guide

Six steps to a location map

  1. 01

    Decide on the extent and the audience

    First decide where people are coming from: across town, off the motorway, by train. The extent follows from that, not from the paper size. A sketch for pedestrians shows four blocks; one for long-distance arrivals shows two motorway exits.

  2. 02

    Use a base map you are allowed to use

    This is the step where most sketches fail. Permitted: OpenStreetMap data with attribution, open state geodata, and purchased vector plans with a licence. Not permitted: a screenshot taken from a map service.

  3. 03

    Reduce ruthlessly

    A location map is not a map, it is directions with geometry. Remove everything that does not aid orientation: house numbers, side streets with no function, shops, contour lines. What remains is the approach roads, one or two landmarks and the destination.

  4. 04

    Mark and label the destination

    One marker, one address, done. Where the entrance is not obvious, add an arrow – for courtyards, works gates and car parks that arrow is the real value of the sketch.

  5. 05

    North, scale, source

    Three small details that separate a sketch from a scribble: a north arrow, a scale bar rather than a scale ratio (the bar stays correct when the sketch is resized) and the attribution for the map data.

  6. 06

    Export as vector

    PDF or SVG, not JPG. The sketch will end up on a letterhead, in an invitation and on a website – at three sizes. As a vector it survives all three; as a pixel image only the one it was exported for.

Tools

What to draw it in

Tool For what Base map
Graphics software (Illustrator, Affinity Designer, Inkscape) The designed sketch for printed matter Open a vector PDF as the base, reduce it, label it
QGIS When you want to assemble the data yourself OpenStreetMap export or open state geodata
CAD (AutoCAD, Vectorworks, ArchiCAD) When the sketch goes into a drawing set Attach DWG or DXF as an external reference
Online generator Fast and one-off, with no design ambition Read the licence terms first – they vary a great deal

Shortcut

Skip step 2

The time-consuming part is a licence-safe base map. A ready-made vector city map brings one along: streets, buildings, water and green already sit on separate layers. You hide what does not aid orientation, mark the destination, and you are done – with separate layers, reducing is a matter of minutes rather than hours.

For a single plot rather than a slice of city, the route runs through the cadastral map: find the plot, set the extent, download it as an A4 extract.

Browse city maps → Open the cadastral map

Read on

FAQ

Location map – questions and answers

What is a location map? +
A location map is a simplified map extent showing the way to a particular destination. It contains only the streets needed for orientation, plus landmarks and the marked destination. It is not an official document and follows no standard – its job is to get people there, not to prove anything.
May I use a Google Maps screenshot for my location map? +
Not without further ado. Map renderings are protected by copyright, and the terms of the major map services permit embedding the map, not freely reusing an extent on your own printed matter, letterheads or flyers. To be safe, use OpenStreetMap with attribution, open state geodata, or a licensed vector plan.
May I use OpenStreetMap for a location map? +
Yes, commercially too. OpenStreetMap data is licensed under the Open Database License (ODbL). Attribution is required – “© OpenStreetMap contributors” along the edge of the sketch is the usual form. If you pass the data on as a dataset you must also place it under the same licence; that does not apply to a drawn sketch on a letterhead.
Which format does a location map need? +
PDF or SVG. Both are vector formats and stay crisp at any size – from a business card to a poster. JPG and PNG only work at exactly the size they were exported for.
What does a location map cost? +
Drawn yourself it costs only time, provided the base map is free. An agency typically charges a low three-figure sum depending on effort. In between there are licensed vector city maps from a few euros that serve as the base and only need reducing and labelling.
Difference between a location map and a site plan? +
A location map shows the way to a destination and serves orientation. A site plan shows a plot and its surroundings from above, true to scale, and serves planning or a building application. The location map may simplify and distort; the site plan may not.
?