A marketing problem with OpenStreetMap is that people used to Google maps where ...

A marketing problem with OpenStreetMap is that people used to Google maps where you get some .png tiles and that's it assume that OpenStreetMap is the same kind of thing.

Note that the OSM say "We make beautiful maps", that's maps plural, not "a beautiful map".

The project is primarily about the underlying data, not any particular end product. They have vector and bitmap outputs, 2D and 3D, digital and printed, up-to-date and historical maps, cycle, public transport and walking maps etc.

And many are both more beautiful and more useful than the alternatives, as well as being free. But not all of them.

Their featured image section of the Wiki gives a better overview, though again many of these images are intended to highlight the quality of the data or new technology:

http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Featured_images

Some picks based on visual beauty:

City of Murmur (width of street varies based on quantity news reports):

http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/File:City_Murmur_Madrid.p...

A Heatmap of Public Transport in Chennai:

http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/File:Chennai_Openstreetma...

Visualization of Flights diverted due to Volcano:

http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/File:ItoWorld_flightRadar...

Helsinki by Night, based on streetlighting info:

http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/File:OSM_By_Night_Helsink...

Demo of Hillshading in the Cycle map:

http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/File:Cyclemap_hill_shadin...