The brief:

Create a detailed, geographically accurate illustrative map of Hell’s Kitchen in New York to be included as a fold out from the main magazine pages of the city lifestyle magazine W42ST.

The challenge: Combining the precision a magazine audience expected with a visually distinctive illustrative style that felt warm and characterful rather than clinical.

The process:

After an initial video call, I worked closely with W42ST to first establish a baseline map which could be built upon as the advertisers came onboard. The map started with the streets of Hell’s Kitchen and was surrounding by illustrations of the buildings and skyscrapers on the edge of Hell’s Kitchen. Once the base was finalised, I added in taxis and small details followed by the locations of the advertisers. I then drew a small illustration of some of the advertiser’s businesses to include on the map. The map was printed monthly and so amendments were made as needed each time the print deadline came round.

The solution:

A hand-drawn, illustrated map, produced in Photoshop using many, many layers to allow for flexibility. The high-resolution map was altered each month to reflect who was advertising in that edition. I sent a high-resolution file to W42ST for printing as a part of the magazine.