Map System
Uptown Athens, Ohio

An isometric three-dimensional map of businesses in uptown Athens, Ohio, a project I conceptualized and produced. The map was proposed as a portion of a larger map system showing Athens County and the City of Athens, both of which I also created.

The map is designed to be easy to use and appealing. The representation of each building has been highly simplified, showing only a simplified footprint, the relative number of stories, and actual color. This provides enough information to help distinguish each building, and provides an overall richness to the piece. The street grid has also been simplified, but remains nearly to scale.

The map was envisioned to be the basis for a number of other pieces. It has been used in newspapers and magazines, and could also be used in shopping/entertainment guides. It could also be used online, provided information about each business when the building is clicked, as well as a business locator.

Design Process

After the concept for the map was determined by sketching on paper, the first step was to take hundreds of photographs of the buildings in uptown Athens. These were then color-corrected and used as reference. Then, an aerial photograph was traced to create initial footprints of the buildings. Slight variations in the street grid were then corrected, as well as other minor inconsistencies. Line weights for streets were then made consistent throughout the map.

After applying a strict grid to the piece, the buildings were then made three-dimensional using the grid and multiple layers in Illustrator.

First Step: Over 350 reference images of map area taken. This shows a portion of North Court Street from Carpenter Street to Fern Street.
Second Step: Aerial photograph traced to determine relative footprint and street grid, using images as a reference to determine building colors.	Third Step: Corrections made to grid, footprints expanded to show relative number of stories.

Final Layout: Tops and bases of building connected. Shading added to increase clarity of buildings and help distinguish from each other. Other tweaks made to layout. Streets labeled. Streets distinguished between brick and pavement. Field verification of layout.

Copyright 1998-2008 Charles W Hartman