Vancouver Map SeriesDesigning a souvenir that belongs to one street.
My goal was to design a souvenir that feels local, not generic. Instead of one city map for everyone, I illustrate a custom map for each shop's own neighbourhood and pin the shop on it, with its logo on the back. Printed on totes, postcards and planners, the map gives tourists a keepsake of the place they discovered and gives the shop a quiet way to be remembered. Gastown, Raincouver and Vancouver are the first three maps in the series.
The shop's own logo goes on the window and the sign; the map does the rest of the talking.
Design notes
Each map leads with the neighbourhood, not the shop. The streets and landmarks are illustrated in a light, friendly line so the map reads as a keepsake first, and the neighbourhood name is set large in a hand-lettered style that people recognise at a glance.
The shop appears only as a single pin on the front and a small logo on the back. That restraint is intentional: a souvenir that feels like an advertisement does not get carried. One that feels like the place does, and it carries the shop with it.
The shop's logo on the back, kept small. Postcards and a planner from the same map.
Harbour & Page Books is a sample shop created to show the program.