Gallery: Hey, Apple: Please Do Your Design Magic on iOS 6 Maps
01ios-6s-new-maps
Now that Apple is [ditching Google](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/business/2012/06/with-google-gone-can-apple-successfuly-navigate-in-maps/) as the back end for the iOS Maps app, we're hoping that they'll give topography the Jony Ive treatment. While we applaud the super-hot [flyover mode](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgLDkHJduRg&feature=youtu.be&t=1m55s), we wonder if they've gone far enough. As the examples above show, it's worth remembering that map tiles can look like anything. Digital maps are made up of two elements: the geo-data that records how the world is laid out and the rules used to render that data on your screen.Thanks to projects like [OpenStreetMap](http://www.openstreetmap.org/), designers have begun to look at location-based data in radical ways. Click through for a tour of this new visual territory. *iOS6 promo image courtesy of Apple.*
02stamens-watercolor-map
Stamen's Watercolor Map Tiles ----------------------------- Based on OpenStreetMap data, Stamen's tiles were designed by [Geraldine Sarmiento](http://stamen.com/studio/geraldine) and [Zach Watson](http://stamen.com/studio/zach). The maps may not get you where you're going, but they make for amazing artwork, which you can use to embellish any article or project that requires a more abstract sense of place. (Free to use with a Creative Common's license). *Map tiles by [Stamen](http://maps.stamen.com/watercolor/#10/51.5187/-0.1698).*
03micrsoft-bings-sketchy-maps
Bing's Sketchy Maps ------------------- From Microsoft Research, Bing's Destination Maps are at once playful and a neat bit of information design. Microsoft recognized that you really only need to see the area right around your destination when you are printing out a map. By rendering only the essentials, Destination Maps reduces your cognitive overload -- especially important when you're behind the wheel. *Map tiles by [Microsoft Research](http://www.bing.com/maps/?form=MPSRCH&cp=47.598%7e-122.158997&lvl=11&style=u&app=50734%7e#Y3A9MzcuNzYxNjc0ODMyNDAyMTV+LTEyMi4zODc2NDExMjU5MTc0NCZsdmw9MTEmc3R5PXImYXBwPTUwNzM0).*
04brett-campers-8-bit-map
Brett Camper's 8-Bit Map Tiles ------------------------------ Brett Camper has spent a lot of time exploring, but most of it was done indoors, while playing videogames. In an effort to make real-life cities feel as exciting to explore as overworld panoramas, he created a series of 8-Bit Maps. The Brooklyn-based Kickstarter staffer started with New York, but the project has since grown to cover 18 urban centers. *Map tiles by [Brett Camper](http://8bitcity.com/map?New%20York#).*
05nils-breyers-isometric-map
Nils Breyer's Isometric Tiles ------------------------------ Like Camper's project, Nils Breyer's isometric maps are clearly a labor of love. You could be fooled into thinking that Breyer's spare style was a simply utilitarian take on OpenStreetMaps data, but then you look closely and see that he's gone to the trouble of *rendering reflections in the water*. *Map tiles by [Nils Breyer](http://bitsteller.bplaced.net/osm/map.html#f).*
06baidu-chinas-sim-city-map
Baidu's *SimCity* Street View ----------------------------- Chinese search engine giant Baidu boasts many of the same services as Google, including a maps page. But zoom in close enough and you get something altogether different. Instead of Google's Street View, Baidu has created gorgeous pixelated locales that look like they're straight outta *SimCity*. Make that *better* than *SimCity*. *Map tiles by [Baidu]( http://map.baidu.com/?newmap=1&l=17&tn=B_DIMENSIONAL_MAP&c=1077001,8938896&cc=sh&s=cur%26wd%3D%E4%B8%8A%E6%B5%B7%E5%B8%82%26ie%3Dutf-8&sc=0).*
07mapboxs-washing-dc-buildings-map
MapBox's Building Footprints ---------------------------- Both graphically striking and practical, Ian Villeda's map of Washington, DC renders only the footprint of the city's buildings. Streets and parks are marked by the negative space in between, allowing you an at-a-glance view of the density of the city. *Map tiles by [Ian Villeda](http://mapbox.com/maps/).*
