Map Illustration Services

Custom map of Tuscumbia, for editorial exploring off-the-beaten-track destinations.

Commission Custom Map Illustrations For Events And Publications

I bring locations to life with custom maps full of character, colour, and detail. My maps translate info into visuals people want to explore, with hand-drawn details and lettering to make your story stand out.

Every map tells a story! Here are a few of mine

Each project was shaped by what the client needed and where it would be used

Illustrated city map of New Orleans that highlights its famous landmarks and vibrant neighborhoods, infused with the festive Mardi Gras atmosphere and subtle French influences

Illustrated Street-plan Maps

Turning urban locations into lively portraits is my specialty! I use locally inspired lettering and imagery, hand-picked to capture character and feel of the place. This creates easily absorbed snapshots, so your audience connects faster, and remembers more.

Illustrated city maps work best when they are more than layouts, and are instead a response to the place itself. I design them to feel lived-in: warm, local, and legible, so that people feel enticed to explore.

“Working with Anna was a dream, she always understood the brand and the brief, and produced carefully considered and beautifully illustrated work every issue. Her artwork was not only impactful enough to provide a beautiful visual introduction to the feature, but was also an informative reference map. I've got a real passion for Anna's handwritten type, too. I'm always looking for excuses to work with her again!”

Lauren Atkinson-Smith – Deputy Art Director, National Geographic Traveller UK

Maps that bring places to life

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Guide visitors with clarity

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Inspire exploration

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Maps that bring places to life - Guide visitors with clarity - Inspire exploration -

Classic Cartographic Map Illustration

Illustrated map of the Seven Ancient Wonders by Anna Simmons, using green and orange, with a grid, scale, and compass

Custom illustrated map for a picture book on ancient wonders - combining clear, informative design with an imaginative, antique-inspired style.

I enjoy getting creative with traditional cartographic devices- grids, compasses, and scales- that recall ancient atlases and old scrolls. Blending aged-looking surfaces with my love of a good historical motif, these illustrated maps help people feel like they’re on a journey into the world of navigation. Drawing on shared visual memories, such commissioned map illustration helps set the scene, appealing to imagination while guiding readers clearly through complex information.

I made this map (and locator map) for a picture book frontispiece. Both illustrations required my special skill of conveying information while setting the scene imaginatively- this time with a sprinkling of antiquity! My approach here ensures your audience is both informed and intrigued, making your project stand out with custom visuals tailored to its story.

Locator map by Anna Simmons for a picture book, in green and orange, featuring an oval world shape and figures from antiquity

Locator illustration designed to set the scene with a sprinkle of antiquity -engaging readers while guiding them through the story.

Custom map illustration for city branding

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Hand-drawn maps for heritage trails

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Illustrated guides for tourism and events

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Custom map illustration for city branding - Hand-drawn maps for heritage trails - Illustrated guides for tourism and events -

Immersive Map Illustration

Detail from an imaginative illustrated map of Cape Town, crafted to make you want to visit

These custom illustrated maps describe intriguing and sometimes aspirational landscapes for viewers to explore. They suggest a sense of place, catching attention before any words are read.

Each bespoke map illustration draws on the unique qualities of a place, using colour, hand lettering, and visual texture to evoke its climate, nature, and atmosphere.

Map-reading becomes an active journey where audiences discover your brand for themselves. This kind of illustrated map design builds stronger emotional connection, increases people’s time on-page, and turns information into something to share and return to.

Commissioned by publishers, travel brands, and cultural institutions

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Maps that inform, engage, and delight

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Designed to support your story and your audience

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Commissioned by publishers, travel brands, and cultural institutions - Maps that inform, engage, and delight - Designed to support your story and your audience -

Infographic Map Illustration

Tour de France map illustration by Anna Simmons, featuring retro hand lettering, route details, and small cyclists in bold yellow and green tones

Custom illustrated map for the travel industry—detailing the Tour de France route with hand lettering and a neat, lively visual style.

Where data meets design!

Infographic maps use familiar visual devices like routes, keys, legends, numbering, that people recognise instantly. These illustrated data maps are a great way to turn complex information into interesting leads worth exploring.

Mix in lively illustrations and playful lettering, and you get a visual story that helps people understand places and systems effortlessly.

My illustrated maps don’t just show the way. They help you :

2-colour spot illustration by Anna Simmons showing a railway track crossed by a bridge

Link To Your Audience

With maps that blend illustration, hand lettering, and collage to evoke place and emotion

2-colour spot illustration by Anna Simmons of a car driving along a road shaped like a hashtag

Boost Interaction

With creative map designs that invite exploration and make details easy to absorb

3-colour spot illustration by Anna Simmons of a building with an arrow indicating its location

Set Your Brand Apart

By transforming geographic content into original artwork that feels fresh and memorable

Hand made look, digital ease

Rest assured! Though my maps are detailed with a hand crafted look and feel, they’re made digitally for easy tweaks.

This means that I can quickly incorporate your requests at each draft stage.

No painting ourselves into a corner!

Photograph of illustrator Anna Simmons at her computer, creating a digital collage

I'm committed to working closely with you to achieve a final outcome that you love.

Too much information and way too much text?

Illustrated maps are a practical solution to text overload, structuring your information and geo-data to make it:

Concise

Our brains decode picture-maps instantly and remember visual storytelling better, sparking faster understanding than reading text.

Digestible

Maps guide viewers through an info hierarchy. Illustrated highlights and bold letters JUMP OUT! ensuring key details catch the eye fast.

Accessible

By paraphrasing paragraphs into pictures and lettering, maps summarise your message and serve it up in a beautiful, shareable layout.

One illustrated map says a thousand words!

Ready to put your story on the map?

If you’re curious how a custom map can bring your story to life, I’d love to hear from you

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Hand Lettering