Illustrated Regional Map for Bennington College

by Nate Padavick

Alumni magazine mock-up

Client

Art Director

Kat Hughes, Art Director

Creative Brief

Bennington College commissioned Nate Padavick to create an illustrated map of the greater area surrounding the college— southern Vermont, eastern New York, and northern Massachusetts. The map is to includes seven curious points of interest.

Project Goals

The goal of this map was to shine a light on several unusual sites and points of interest near Bennington College. These sites are also featured in Atlas Obscura, the online guide to curious and wonderous travel destinations, co-founded by an alum of the college.

Project Realization

This map was printed alongside a story in the Fall 2024 issue of the college’s magazine, which can be viewed online here.

Creative Process

Nate worked iteratively with the college’s art director to arrive at a solution which featured a variety of far-flung locations while maintaining the college’s position as the focal center point. The creation of a highly detailed sketch ensured that the final review had no surprises—and no revisions!

Materials

This map was created in Adobe Illustrator by Nate Padavick, using vector brushes and his hand-drawn font Tallboy. AI was not used in the creation of this illustration.

Testimonial

Everyone loves the illustration—thanks so much for your lovely work on this. We're excited to see it in print! Your consistently inviting and whimsical style is so engaging—it makes us want to explore every location!
~Kat Hughes