Nate Padavick is a freelance illustrator who specializes in illustrating campus maps for colleges and universities.



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Professional Affiliations

Nate is a member of Illustrators For Hire, a curated directory of professional freelance illustrators.


Biography

Nate enjoys hiking, gardening, and cycling with his boyfriend, James Voorhies, and power-walking with his sister, Salli Swindell. Nate is actively engaged in the global illustration community through his commitment to the creative platforms Illustrators For Hire and The Illustrator’s Circle.

Experience

Nate has over 20 years of experience as an illustrator, specializing in various areas of expertise, which include designing books and websites, as well as illustrating greeting cards, infographics, and—of course—maps.

Expertise & Authority

Nate has illustrated well over 200 maps for a variety of clients from newspapers such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, publishers such as Chronicle Books and Scholastics, and educational institutions such as Brigham Young University and Tufts University.

As an authority on map illustration, Nate has shared in expertise in many ways:

Maps as Creative Content

As a freelancer who specializes in campus map illustration, Nate has created maps that serve a variety of purposes for his education clients. His illustrated campus maps have been used as:
  • promotional collateral to prospective students 
  • wayfinding graphics in campus kiosks 
  • wall murals in buildings and cafeterias
  • illustrations within college magazines
  • framed gifts for donors and alumni
  • visitor guides for on-campus guests


Testimonials & Trust

Nate was fantastic to work with. Not only is he a wonderful artist but he is very skilled at project management and communication. We felt supported and in the loop every step of the way. I cannot recommend Nate highly enough for your next map or creative project—we are so pleased with the final product!
Mark Kotsopoulos, Senior Associate Director of Enrollment Marketing
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

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It was a pleasure working with Nate on a recent project. He helped arrive at a perfect solution—an illustrated map that is fun, informative, and inspirational! Additionally, Nate was efficient and easy to work with—qualities I value.
Sara Brazeal, Director of Communications
Northwestern University 

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Even though we had a tight deadline, Nate responded quickly and provided a suite of illustrations…ahead of schedule! He understood what we needed, provided a sample illustration, and followed through perfectly. I highly recommend Nate to any art director.
Eileen Bellamy, Art Director
Williams College

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It was such a pleasure working with Nate on our 18-foot-long wall mural! From start to finish, every step of the way was well-organized, well-communicated, and ahead of schedule. He captured exactly what we wanted, and we couldn't be happier with the final design. I highly recommend Nate to anyone!
Marni Hassan, Communications Manager
 Brigham Young University

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Clients


Creative Process

Nate’s creative process begins with thoughtful conversations to gather ideas and define the scope of work. From there, he collaborates with clients through a series of stages—sketching, revising, partially illustrating, refining, and tweaking—until the final artwork is complete and truly reflects his client’s vision.


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