Creating a 'We've Moved' Map Graphic for a New Address Announcement

A "we've moved" map graphic works better than a text-only announcement because it shows the actual distance and direction of the move at a glance — whether that's across town, across the country, or across an ocean. Two markers and a short line communicate more than a paragraph of address details, and people can tell instantly whether the move is a quick drive away or a reason to plan a visit.

This applies to households announcing a relocation and just as much to small businesses or studios telling clients and vendors where to find them now.

Decide how much geography to show

The right map depends on how far the move actually was:

• Same country, different city or state — a single country or regional map, with both locations marked, communicates the move clearly without unnecessary zoom-out.
• Cross-border or international move — a world map with the two countries marked works better than trying to crop a single-country map that can't show both points.
• Local move within the same metro area — a dotted map is usually the wrong tool here; the scale is too small for dots to read as anything meaningful, so a simple text card is a better fit.

Choosing the right zoom level up front avoids the most common mistake: picking a map that's zoomed too far out to show a meaningful difference between the old and new pin.

Marking the two locations

Once you have a map at the right scale, add a marker for the old address and a distinct marker for the new one — different colors or shapes for each, so the "from" and "to" points are unambiguous without a legend. A short connecting line or arrow between the two reinforces direction if the layout has room for it.

Keep labels minimal: a city and state/country is usually enough. Full street addresses on a public graphic are rarely necessary and can be a privacy risk if the post is shared publicly on social media — save the exact address for the private message or card insert that goes with it.

For the mechanics of adding pins to a base map, see How to Add Location Markers to Your Dotted Map.

Choosing a format for how it'll be shared

• Social post or Instagram Story — export as PNG at a square or 4:5 ratio, and keep text large enough to read at thumbnail size in a feed.
• Email announcement — SVG or a lightweight PNG embedded directly in the email body keeps the file size down; see How to Use a World Map SVG in an Email Header for sizing guidance that applies just as well to a standalone announcement email.
• Printed card — export at a higher resolution than you'd use on screen, since print needs more detail per inch than a display does.

Matching the tone of the announcement

A move across the country for a new job reads differently than a move a few states over to be closer to family, and the map's color and style can support that tone. A warm, single-accent color on a light background feels personal and celebratory; a cooler, more neutral palette feels calmer and more matter-of-fact. There's no single correct choice — it's worth generating a couple of color variants and picking the one that matches how you actually want the announcement to feel, rather than defaulting to whatever the first export looks like.

If this move is part of a bigger relocation story — an international move, a long-term expat journey, or a pattern of moving between countries — a fuller travel or journey map may be a better fit than a single before/after graphic. See Building a Digital Nomad Journey Map for that longer format.

Final thoughts

A "we've moved" graphic only needs two clearly marked points and a map zoomed to the right scale to show the distance meaningfully. Keep the address detail off the public version, match the color to the tone of the announcement, and export at the size and format that fits wherever you're sharing it — a social post, an email, or a printed card.

Generate a map at World in Dots sized to your move and add markers for your old and new city.