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How to Create Good Map Marker Icons

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You don’t need to design your own icons for today’s lab — I will provide the icons so you can focus on the Android + Maps skills.

But if you enjoy graphic design or want custom icons for your project, here’s what you need to know:

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🎨 1. Icon Size Matters

Google Maps renders small marker icons best when they are:

✔ 48×48 px or 60×60 px

✔ PNG format

✔ Transparent background

If an icon is too big:

It covers too much map space

It looks blurry when scaled down

It slows down the app (large files)

If it’s too small:

Users can’t see it

Tapping becomes harder

Sweet spot: 48–60 px.

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🐻 2. Recommended Tools for Making Icons

⭐ Easiest Method

Generate an icon with Google Gemini Image Generator

Export the image

Resize it with TechSmith Snagit (or any image editor)

This workflow is fast, reliable, and fun.

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🎨 3. Free Tools Students Can Use

If students want to design their own icons:

✔ Canva (free browser tool)

Great templates

Export as PNG with transparency

Simple resizing

✔ Figma

Professional look

Vector shapes scale cleanly

Export clean PNGs

✔ Android Studio Vector Asset Tool

Perfect for simple icons

Resolution-independent

No external tools needed

You can recolor icons easily

Tip: For simple shapes (stars, cars, trees, animals, restaurants, etc.) Vector Asset Studio is perfect and avoids pixelation issues.

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🌟 4. Style Tips for Better-Looking Map Pins

Use simple shapes (avoid detailed artwork)

Avoid text inside the icon (too small to read)

Use thick outlines so it stands out on maps

Keep contrast high (dark outlines, bright colors)

Maintain a consistent style if you have multiple categories

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💡 5. Name Your File Clearly

Good names:

ic_restaurant_pin.png

ic_bird_sighting.png

ic_car_pickup.png

Bad names:

myicon.png

image1.png

Clear names make your Kotlin code easier to read.

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🏁 6. Where to Save Icons

Place your PNG file into:

app/src/main/res/drawable/

Android tools will automatically assign it an ID like:

R.drawable.ic_restaurant_pin

Which you can reference in your code.

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🎁 7. Good News — Icons Provided

To keep the pace of the lab smooth and stress-free, your instructor will provide you with:

restaurant pins

wildlife icons

search icons

category icons

You are free to use these, or swap in your own designs if you enjoy creativity.

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