Illustrated Campus Map of Santa Clara University and Regional Maps of San Francisco Bay Area
by Nate Padavick
Client
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, California
Art Directors
Keith Pacoma, Senior Designer, Michael Patrick Partners
Creative Brief
Santa Clara University (SCU) commissioned Nate Padavick to create three illustrated maps—one of the campus, one of the Bay Area, and one of Northern California. The college requested that “...the maps must give a general sense of place and provide inspiration, rather than simply providing point A to point B general navigation.”
Project Goals
As part of an enrollment campaign, the maps needed to display the variety of opportunities—educational, recreational, and vocational—in proximity to the university. While the primary usage was the annual Viewbook, sent to prospective students, the maps also needed to be adaptable for
use by the Fulfillment team, the Career Center, on the the website, and in the bookstore.
Project Realization
The project manifested into a multi-page feature in SCU’s annual Viewbook, illustrating a story about the dynamic lifestyle opportunities on campus and throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.
Creative Process
In order to execute this complex project smoothly and to ensure client satisfaction, Nate worked closely—and iteratively—with the art director. The first step was data gathering, which helped define the precise scope of work and identify the boundaries of the map and the sites to be included. The next step was layout sketching, which went through several iterations, due to the quantity of sites requested. Once the layout was determined, the sketch phase continued at a more detailed level—buildings, sites, and environmental details. After the sketches were approved, the illustration step began. Nate fully illustrated a small section of the map, in order for the client to review his color choices, illustration style, and lettering technique. Upon approval of those aesthetic factors, Nate took the entire maps to finish. The final review allowed for a last round of revisions, which were minimal due to the iterative sketches that Nate provided along the way.
Materials
This map was created in Adobe Illustrator by Nate Padavick, using vector brushes and his hand-drawn font Slender. AI was not used in the creation of this illustration.
Additional
Images
Illustrated map of the Bay Area, extending east to Lake Tahoe and YosemiteRough sketch of the regional Bay Area map
Illustrated map of the Bay Area, focusing on the peninsula and Silicon ValleyRough sketch of the peninsula map