What makes a good illustrated map for visitors?
A beautiful map isn't doing its job if it isn't also useful
An illustrated map that gets it right strikes a balance between visual appeal, usefulness and ease of understanding. Its job is to help the person looking at it, not just to decorate the page.
Help visitors understand a place at a glance
An illustrated map shouldn't make visitors work hard to decode it. It should guide them towards a quick and easy overview of where they are.
Clear visual hierarchy helps the viewer see what matters first, whether that's the main entrance, key routes or places of interest. Thoughtful organisation of information helps people get their bearings and understand how different parts of a place link to one another.
The aim is to give visitors enough information to feel confident about where they are and encouraged to explore, without overloading them with every single thing there is to see.
What visitors are really looking for
A helpful illustrated map can highlight important landmarks and places of interest, entrances and access points, as well as facilities and visitor services. It can also show less obvious things visitors might want to know about, and the routes that connect all of these together. A good map can prevent visitors from missing out or wasting time feeling lost or inconvenienced.
How illustration creates a stronger sense of place
An illustrated map can tell you where a place is, but illustration can give you a feel for what it's like to be there.
Colour, texture, lettering, landmarks and little visual details can all help capture the character and atmosphere of a place. They can bring in local stories, history and familiar details that make the map feel connected to the place, rather than just showing where everything is.
Those details can also create emotions before someone has even arrived. A familiar architectural style might stir nostalgia, while expressive lettering or a particular colour palette might suggest the character of a destination before the visitor sets foot there.
In this way, an illustrated map can become part of the visitor experience itself. It doesn't just help people understand where they are. It helps them feel connected to the place they're exploring.
Questions to ask before commissioning a visitor map
Before commissioning a visitor map, it helps to think about what you need the map to achieve.
Who will be using the map, and what do they need from it?
What do visitors need to find or understand quickly?
Which places, routes, landmarks or visitor services are most important to show?
What can be left out? Not everything needs to appear on the map.
How accurate does the map need to be for the job it has to do?
Do you want the map simply to help people navigate, or should it also communicate the character and identity of the place?
Are there particular stories, landmarks, visual details or aspects of the place that you want visitors to notice?
Where will the map be used? A visitor guide, website, printed publication, signage or another format may require different decisions.
Thinking through these questions before commissioning can help clarify what the map needs to communicate and what role illustration can play in making that happen.