Elle Decoration London Design Week Map

Elle Decoration commissioned me to create an illustrated map to guide their readers around the London Design Festival. Elle Decoration wants the map to be useable to a certain extent, but still loose enough, key buildings, landmarks, and exhibitors were the feature of the map.

Elle Decoration briefed me to illustrate a map for the London Design Festival which takes place in September. I was asked to illustrate a double-page spread and two single pages, plus a section opener. The editor would like the map to work from the opener, across the spread, and onto the two single pages as if it was one continual journey. The copy would be in small caption like chunks or annotations around the map.

The challenge is how to travel locations/exhibitors. To travel in a logical way and as you read this would mean the map would run South West, Central/North, East. In the South West group, the furthest location West is in Syon Park

I illustrated the Elle Decoration London Design Week Map in my hand-drawn pen and ink line art style with splashes of colour. The maps form around central key/main roads, which was loose and not too literal and illustrate every road. I tried to pull out and illustrate exhibitor’s buildings if they are interesting, as well as key or iconic pieces of design from some of the exhibitors. Other key landmarks were also drawn on to the Elle Decoration London Design Week Map, as were nearby tubes stations and naming the key main roads.