Maps for shopping districts and community resources

Patio season is in full swing, but how to you know where to find the best patios? With a map, of course!

Maps can help people find your business and promote shopping districts. They can be simple or colourful, artistic or traditional, geographically accurate or fun and cartoony.

And community organizations can use maps to help people find and use their services, and educate the general public about the programs they offer. Here are just a few examples.

Maps that promote shopping districts

Last year was the first time I saw downtown Kitchener’s maps promoting their restaurants and businesses. The first map is a digital map (designed by Hushpuppy Designs), and I have it on my phone to look at when I go downtown and want to decide what patio to visit. The second one is a shopping guide for the downtown. The map shows three shopping districts and the rest of the print brochure lists all businesses by category. Very helpful to keep on hand!

  • Downtown Kitchener Patio Map designed by Hushpuppy Designs.
  • Guide to Downtown Kitchener showing businesses that accept Downtown Dollars

Maps that inform and educate

The Food Bank of Waterloo Region has a couple of maps on their website. One is an interactive Google Map to help people locate community food assistance programs nearby. another one is a colourful map infographic to educate people about the community food assistance network.

Google Map image showing community food assistance programs in Waterloo Region, colour coded by program type
colourful infographic with stats about the community food assistance network, shown on a cartoony map of Waterloo Region

Do you need a custom map?

You might not need a custom map – you may be able to use one that already exists. I’ve seen many businesses, such as restaurants, that have city street maps on their was, with their delivery ones marked on by hand.

But when you want to add or remove information from those maps, that’s when it’s time to consider a custom map.

Often people contact me when they need a map but don’t know how to proceed. Contact me for a free, no-obligation consultation to talk about your project.

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