I Built a Map Generator Because I Like Maps

What a small cartography side project taught me about making focused tools, learning by building, and stopping before the idea becomes a product roadmap.

A small tool with a clear job

AwesomeMaps takes a location and turns it into a poster-style map. You choose the visual preset, crop shape, radius, road width, colours, and optional map details. Then you export the result as SVG or a 4096 × 4096 PNG.

I wanted to build the thing, not plan it

The project was also an excuse to work differently. I could have spent weeks deciding what a map generator might become, but the more useful question was smaller: can I make one that feels good to use?

Keeping scope small is a design decision

The tool is unlikely to ever reach a thousand users. That is the point. I built it because I wanted to use it. I designed the interface for a specific person: someone who values maps and wants a beautiful poster.

What I learned

Build the tool you want to use

The most useful product decisions came from being a user of the tool, not from planning a roadmap for theoretical users.

Decide what the project should not do

Choosing to leave features out and finishing at a functional state is a design decision. Plans for future versions are valuable when you actually build them.

A map generator is mostly about constraints

The color palettes, the crop, the preset styles, the radius. The design is a set of purposeful limitations.

Building things outside your main work matters

A side project exposes you to different decisions, a different set of users, and a different relationship with the tools.