What a wonderful thing to work on..
..researching all the quirky, weird and wonderful stories around our home county of Suffolk and then bringing them to life with hand drawn illustrations and digital painting. Well, we couldn't be happier!
So how did it come about?
Touching the Tide was a 4 year project, supported by the Heritage Lottery fund and ran by 3 lovely and enthusiastic people (Bill, Kate and Helen) from their HQ in Woodbridge. And they had a wealth of information to impart, conversations and discussions to start, and messages to disseminate. So they were after someone who could help them visualise their messages into explanatory, memorable, engaging and visually beautiful products they could share.
Initially we developed a short film to help explain some of the messages about the fragile Suffolk Coast and the issues facing it, but to also highlight some of the magical wonders along this coastal stretch. You can watch this film below.
Next the TtT team wanted a way of visualising all the wonderful things that might not be so obvious or known across Suffolk, spotlighting some of the interesting and unusual facts and features. And so work began on a large double-sided epic map to bring it all together.
The Map of Mystery was illustrated by Reb Capper at Steamboat, where we specialise in bringing to life creative briefs such as this. We particularly enjoy working with passionate clients and projects that also benefit the local area and since we are based along the Suffolk Coast, it was a project very close to our hearts. Not only did we learn a great deal about our home county, but it was an honour to help represent it. It was a real treat to be involved in encouraging those who live here and those who visit to discover, explore, respect and look after our ever changing coast.
Why a physical map in this Google Maps digital age?
Despite living in the digital age, there is still something very special and enjoyable about unfolding and discovering an actual map - the way the paper feels in one's hands. And when it's a map with a difference, packed full of curious quirks, tiny vignettes and Suffolk stories, it really is a much richer experience than simply viewing a Google map on a tiny device screen. Our map was designed to impart many layers of knowledge and information in a visually exciting and whimsical way. It gets readers of all ages absorbed and they continue to find more each time they come back to it. It also provides visitors with a keepsake of their visit to the Suffolk Coast. The team also decided to have a number printed into full size posters, particularly useful in Schools and Visitor Centres.
If you would like a copy, please email us and we'd be happy to send one out to you!
