Sacred Heart University Tourism Map
Illustrated map for Sacred Heart University in Fairfield Connecticut, to communicate the area’s offerings to prospective students.
CLIENT BACKGROUND
Sacred Heart University is a Catholic University based in Fairfield Connecticut. Being the second-largest Catholic university in New England, they pride themselves on academic excellence, cutting-edge technology, championship Division I athletic teams, and nationally recognized community service programs.
They are in a prime location nestled along the Eastern Coast between New York City and Boston. This makes it easy to travel to and from the university and SHUs involvement in the community allows the students plenty of activities while they’re attending the school.
PROJECT GOALS
Create a map customized to SHU’s location
Customize illustrations in-line with SHU’s brand and personality to seek the attention of potential students and their parents
Feature the SHU campus, SHU partner locations, surrounding cities, major landmarks, outdoor activities, and transportation in and outside of Fairfield County
Include local features such as coastal themes through decorative elements
SERVICES PROVIDED
Information Design
Illustration
Print Design
DELIVERABLES
Illustrated Map for Print and Web
2 Versions — With & Without Area Description
Prioritizing Attractions
There is a lot to do in and around Fairfield county, so creating a focused list of attractions and activities was important to keep the map focused. Originally, SHU’s list of “like to have” items spanned across a larger area of Connecticut, forcing the map to feature a larger area — leading to less focus on the school’s location.
ITERATION
While Fairfield County itself has a lot of attractions and activities, there were still a lot of places outside of the county that SHU wanted to include. So we collaborated with their marketing team and sketched iterations. Each time, narrowing down the area of focus and refining the overall shape of the map. We eventually landed on “Fairfield County & Beyond” so we weren’t solely focused on Fairfield County, but had the flexibility to include outside destinations.
Digital Refinement
As we built the map digitally, it’s easier to discover areas that seem to fall flat or need to be adjusted to better reflect certain locations. To help these areas feel less empty, we explored and included other local activities that didn’t need to be labeled. These were more decorative elements that suggest an activity. These types of activities include a waterfall, kayaking, sailing, hiking, and tubing. We also refined the labeling system, the location of a few attractions, and added another road.
"It was a pleasure working with Cinder Design Co. They made the creative process incredibly easy and took the time to understand our larger goals and audiences. We’re thrilled about the positive feedback this piece has received! "
– Marisa A. Papa, Associate Director of Marketing | Sacred Heart University