Hand Drawn Maps - A selection of maps containing hand-drawn elements to create a 'sketchy' appearance

Hand Drawn Maps

A selection of maps containing hand-drawn elements to create a 'sketchy' appearance.

A section of the map relating to the Roman Empire.

A section of the map relating to the Roman Empire.

A closer look at a section of the map detailing the growth of the Mongol Empire.

A closer look at a section of the map detailing the growth of the Mongol Empire in the 13th Century.

Hand Drawn Maps

Client: Dorling Kindersley

These maps were created for a children's book focusing upon important people through history. The brief was to create maps that had a hand-drawn appearance, reflecting the style of the book as a whole. Whilst many of the graphic styles employed on these maps are computer generated, the maps as a whole are, nevertheless, based upon hand-drawn sketches which were then digitised and adapted accordingly.

The font used on the maps has been chosen to reflect the 'sketchy' appearance and the map frames have been recreated digitally from soft pencil drawings.

Some elements of these maps, notably the rivers and coastlines, have been generated digitally through the use of vector based brushes. By default, these tools within the software enable lines to be produced that appear to be hand-drawn. However, because they are created digitally, they can be much more easily refined and adapted to meet specific requirements.

Ed Merritt
View Ed Merritt's profile on LinkedIn

About

Hello, my name is Ed Merritt. I am a cartographer based in Southampton (UK). I established Merritt Cartographic in 2006.

I am a graduate of Oxford Brookes University, receiving an honours degree in Mapping and Cartography. Having worked in the past for a large publishing company in central London, much of my current work is commissioned for inclusion in reference books. I also produce interactive maps for deployment on websites and in applications as well as products for use on public display panels and signposts. As a freelance cartographer, I have produced custom maps and graphics for a wide range of publishers, charities, media organisations and businesses. My work has been included in books published by Dorling Kindersley, National Geographic, Pearson, Penguin Books, Oxford University Press, Taschen, Laurence King Publishing, Millennium House and Weldon Owen. I've also created maps for a wide range of other companies and charities, including the Royal Horticultural Society, Smithsonian Institution, Best Western, The Greenbrier Companies, Fastmarkets, Bright Horizons and Cycling UK.

I enjoy being creative in my work and like to explore new approaches. As a map-maker, I have a natural tendency to pay attention to detail and also to work hard to ensure that I am being as accurate as I can in the work that I produce.

For more information on how Merritt Cartographic can best assist you with your project, please send me a message or make contact via the information displayed above and throughout the site. I look forward to hearing from you.

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Phone: +44 (0)7843 978646