Ohio Amish Country Map with Hand Lettered Numbering

Ohio Amish Country Map with Hand Lettered Numbering, created for an editorial feature.

When I was commissioned to illustrate this editorial map of Ohio Amish Country, I assumed Amish communities would be completely private, and probably the last places to welcome tourists. As it turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong. That misconception was exactly what the brief was about.

I knew I needed to win people over before they'd started reading the map. So to create this piece, I used warm colour, hand lettering, and human details to invite draw readers in and show a more open, friendly impression of the area.

Illustrated Depictions of Everyday Life

Scenes of everyday Amish life, Horse-drawn ploughing and a family walk, help communicate the character of the destination through visual storytelling

Shifting Perceptions with a Splash of Colour

The design process involved piecing the districts together like fragments of a quilt, using bright but natural hues to reflect the homeliness of Amish life. I included visual elements like rolling hills, red barns, horse-drawn buggies, and traditional clothing- all layered in flat colour, hinting at the quaint simplicity of the culture.

The numbers were intentionally varied in style to evoke a playful, old-fashioned make-do-and-mend feel; reflecting the simple, homely aesthetics of these traditions, while still guiding readers clearly through the map’s points of interest.

A Day at the Races - Crowds and Bareback Riding

Little details—like the clustered crowd and hand-lettered 8—convey a sense of shared experience and help build narrative within the wider map

Visual Language and Emotional Resonance

This map is a visual guide, but also an invitation to discover a well-kept-secret destination. It reflects my broader approach to cultural, geographic, and research-led map illustration; the same thinking I bring to heritage, tourism, editorial, and institutional projects.

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If you're planning a custom map for a destination, publication or organisation, I'd love to hear about it. Explore my Map Illustration Services to see how I approach commissioned maps, or browse more projects in my portfolio.

I create illustrated maps that help people understand places, spark curiosity and make information more engaging.