City Map as an .ai File for Adobe Illustrator
Some clients and templates ask for an .ai file specifically, and many designers simply prefer to start in Illustrator's own format. The AI export gives you a city map in exactly that form. This guide explains what is inside the file, how to export it and how to organise it once it is open.
What the AI export contains
AI is the working format of Adobe Illustrator. Since version 9 it is built on PDF, and the export is a single artboard with paths, fills and editable text - a ready base for design work. Object names sit in the file as a hidden catalogue that a PDF viewer's search can find; Illustrator itself shows that catalogue split into separate letters, so treat it as reference data rather than ready labels.
Step 1. Select the area in the map builder
Open the map builder and draw a rectangle around the part of the city you need: zoom with the mouse wheel, drag to move, then press and drag to outline the area. A smaller area exports faster and keeps more detail - a single district takes seconds, a whole city can take several minutes.
Step 2. Pick a map style and level of detail
The style sets the colours and line weights of the exported drawing. Minimal gives a clean base that is easy to restyle, blueprint gives a ready drawing look, and there are other styles such as standard and neon. The level of detail ranges from an overview (major roads only) to maximum (every building and footpath); the builder suggests a sensible level for the size of the area. You can also choose the sheet format: A4, A3 or custom.
Step 3. Choose AI as the format
Pick AI in the format list. Consider the alternatives for your case: SVG arrives split into named groups (roads, buildings, water, greenery), which saves the organising step described below; PDF is convenient for a proof that opens on any device; EPS suits older layout and prepress workflows.
Step 4. Open the file in Illustrator
Use File > Open. The map appears on one artboard. Check the artboard size against your final format and adjust it with the Artboard tool if needed - scaling vector paths does not lose quality, but stroke weights scale too unless "Scale Strokes & Effects" is switched off.
Step 5. Organise the artwork into layers
- Create layers for the kinds of objects you want to control: water, greenery, buildings, major roads, minor roads.
- Click one object of a kind, then use Select > Same > Fill Color (or Stroke Color for roads) to select all objects of that kind.
- Move the selection to its layer: drag the small square in the Layers panel, or use Object > Arrange > Send to Current Layer.
- Repeat for each kind, then lock the layers you are not editing.
Step 6. Style and finish
- Recolour each layer to your palette, or use Recolor Artwork for the whole map at once.
- Use Pathfinder > Unite on buildings to merge them into blocks for a simpler poster look.
- Add your own typography for street names and points of interest.
- Convert to CMYK at the end if the file goes to print - the export uses RGB.
Tips
Choose the level of detail before export, not after: deleting thousands of footpaths by hand is slower than not exporting them. Save the organised version as a new file and keep the original export as a reference.
Credit the data
The maps are built from OpenStreetMap data, which is published under the Open Database License. When you print or publish a map, keep a short credit such as "© OpenStreetMap contributors" somewhere on the layout - in the corner of a poster or in the imprint of a brochure.