Today, we are pleased to announce several rendering and styling improvements to Bing Maps on http://www.bing.com/maps to enhance aesthetics and usability.

Gradient Land Color

We introduced a new gradient coloring for land areas that adjusts the brightness to your zoom level. The land color will now be lighter when zoomed out and get darker when zoomed in at higher levels of detail. Not only do these updates improve the overall aesthetic appeal of the maps, but they also help increase the contrast, making streets and other features more visible.

Before

After

Localized Landmark Icons

We also added new, culturally-accurate symbols for landmarks. Instead of using the same icons for landmarks like banks or pharmacies globally, we introduced new symbols that are relevant no matter where you are.

Transit Icon Consolidation

Additionally, we removed some instances where public transit icons were duplicated on the map in the United States.

Park Trails and Pathways

New styling helps clearly differentiate park trails and pathways from roads.

Before

After

– Bing Maps Team