Notes from Northumberland
The story of a self-taught illustrator and designer living in England’s most northerly county
Illustrating a Journey Along Hadrian’s Wall
I love working on these types of commissions as it really showcases the flexibility of map-making. Maps based on experience, emotion and memory aren’t about cartographical accuracy - they’re storytelling in its purest form. Whilst the viewer needs to be able to orient themselves - perhaps understanding the direction of travel or key landscape features - they aren’t using the map for way-finding. It is about their lived experience of the adventure and the landscape - what they personally noticed, encountered and even endured in the process of their journey - and how they share that story with others.