The Brief
Create an illustrated map that represents the elements of Chicago. The end result must look cohesive and show 11 significant locations within the city.
The End Result
A map using a limited color palette and illustration style that unites the places and activities that characterize the Windy City.
Initial Ideation & Sketches
My first step was to decide which places I ought to include in my map. I did this by looking at travel/tourism articles about Chicago, reading lots of Google reviews about places, and sometimes opening the virtual map to "look around" the area. After that I compiled a large list of places that I thought were significant, interesting, or would allow me to create interesting illustrations, and then plotted each location on a map. I eliminated places that were right next to each other and tried to make sure they were evenly spaced apart.
I was left with around 12-13 locations that I was highly interested in rendering. This allowed me to create some sketches and play around with the composition while still having the freedom to cut items that weren't working, as the brief only required 11 locations within the city.
Initial locations plotted on the map
First rough sketch of map & locations
With the first round of rough sketches, my goal was to decide general placement of each icon as well as decide how the base of the map would look. I struggled with finding the appropriate color palette during this project, after this very cluttered sketch I decided to work in mostly neutral tones and decide on colors after all of the locations/icons were completed.
Final Locations (before color adjustments)
The Chicago Harbor Lighthouse
The Wrigley Building
The Navy Pier
Buckingham Fountain
The Chicago Theatre
Garrett's Popcorn Shops
Art Institute of Chicago
Cloudgate AKA 'The Bean'
The Shedd Aquarium
The Field Museum
Pizzeria Uno
After the main illustrations were rendered, I began creating additional filler pieces that could give the map more life and energy. Next up was finding colors that would make the map feel more like Chicago.
Playing with Color
First Color Palette: bold, trendier, you lose some of the finer details
Second Color Palette: matches with sports teams, feels bright and fun but a bit more historical feeling
Final Composition & Feedback
The final critique yielded positive comments regarding the cohesiveness of the illustrations and the color choices, but stated that the base of the map needed more work. If I were to go back and refine this project further, I would remove the Chicago Harbor Lighthouse (as much as I adored it) because it detracts from the rest of the locations and creates a large empty space that then needs to be filled. I would also like to play around with subtle patterns in the water (waves, boats, etc..) that make it appear less expansive.
Overall critiques were positive and this was a valuable, enriching experience! This project has given me a good sense of how a flat map and illustrations interact to produce the final composition. Even though I faced some challenges with the color palette and base of the map, those challenges allowed me to see that I can pivot and keep moving forward even when I feel stuck.