Illustrated Map of the Five College Consortium
by Nate Padavick
Client
Five College Consortium
Amherst, Massachusetts
Art Director
Annie Croteau, Strategic Engagement Manager
Creative Brief
University of the Pacific commissioned Nate Padavick to create
an illustrated map of the region of central Massachusetts that includes the Five College Consortium of Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, and University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Project Goals
The goal of the map was to emphasize the proximity of each college to each other and visualize the bus and bike routes students can take to move between them. Additionally, the map needed to convey the natural beauty for which this region is known.
Project Realization
This project manifested into two map components. One map (pictured above) was banner-sized in order to accomodate the client’s website. The other map (seen below) was more traditionally sized to accomodate usage in brochures and social media.
Creative Process
In this particular project, the step that required the most creativity was assessing the level of detail to be included within the map. Nate worked iteratively with the client to strike a balance that gave the viewer the right amount of practical information while providing just enough visual interest to convey the natural beauty of the location.
Materials
This map was created in Adobe Illustrator by Nate Padavick, using digital brushes and his hand-drawn font EZ 2 Read. AI was not used in the creation of this illustration.
Additional
Images
An illustrated map of Central Massachusetts featuring Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, and University of Massachusetts Amherst.An early sketch with an alternative color palette