The Project
Create the official Ohio Transportation Map for 2019.
The Ohio Transportation map is produced and designed in-house by the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT). The map consists of two sides: the cartographic section (the actual map) which is produced by ODOT's Division of Technical Services, and the information section, which, for the past 18 years, has been designed by Bruce Hull, graphic designer/photographer, in ODOT's Division of Communications.
The map is 27x39 inches unfolded, folding down to 4x9 inches, and is produced every two to four years.
The Cartographic Side
The cartographic side provides navigational aid and contains information about ODOT programs. Ensuring accuracy and legibility for the cartographic section of the map is the responsibility of ODOT's Division of Technical Services. Design elements on this side are kept to a minimum so as not to distract from the functionality of the map, and minimize over-saturation of the paper with ink during the printing process.
The Process
The map is designed as a whole project, but the creative focus is on the information side. Since the basis for this side of the map is to promote travel and tourism, the process begins with developing a creative way to encourage people to explore Ohio. Hull has found the most effective and engaging way to do that is with photos of featured areas and activities around the state.
Most people keep their photos in digital galleries, but will get prints made of a image that has a special meaning or memory for them. Hull decided to layout the images in this manner, as if it was their personal snapshot, presenting them in a format the viewer can identify with.
Branding
The new map for 2019 was designed following the guidelines of the Ohio branding campaign: Ohio : find it here. Incorporated into the design were the branding logo, brand color palette, and fonts. Whimsical hand drawn elements relating to Ohio, and emotion words were also included.
Gathering photos
Photos are gathered from various sources. Companies and entities around the state are contacted about supplying photos in exchange for having their business or activity listed on the photo, along with a photo credit. Ohio's Division of Travel & Tourism also supplied royalty-free images, and some photos were contributed by ODOT employees.
The criteria for the photos were they needed to show diversity (cultural, gender, and ethnic); the photo must be an Ohio destination; a scenic area; people enjoying an activity in Ohio. All sources that contributed photos did so either by email or other electronic means, so their agreements for use of the photos was documented.
Most of the major and popular activities around the state were automatically selected to go on the map. To prevent over-representation of a specific geographical area in the state, Hull used the scientific method. He kept a map hung on the wall, and would sometimes close his eyes and point to an area of the state, and then see what was there that might be an interesting destination.
Governor and Lieutenant Governor's Panels
Ohio's newly elected governor and lieutenant governor were asked to supply a photo, signatures, and a short statement for their respective panel on the information side.
Layout
The basis for the layout was for the photos to be arranged as if they were laid out on a table, angled with overlapping edges, and drop shadows, with some photos having borders.The photos were processed in Lightroom, and this portion of the layout was done in Photoshop in a file with the same dimensions as the finished product plus a 1/8 inch bleed. There are detailed map insets of particular cities featured on this side also, and this area was was left blank to accommodate their placement.
Guides marked the folding, layout, and bleed lines.
Once the design is completed, the final information side file is ready for export. The exported file is then opened and converted to cmyk using a customized color profile in Photoshop. This converted file is ready to be placed into Indesign to add the text, map insets, a camp-ground chart, and other elements.
In preparation for printing, sharpening is done on the black and cyan channels of the exported file. This is not done on the magenta and yellow channels, because it would have an unflattering effect on skin tones.
Close-ups of photo layout.
To tie-in the design, watermark cars were added to the cities legend on the cartographic side.
Final design after all the elements have been added in Indesign.
The map insets and camping chart have also been converted to cmyk. Using a custom preset, the file is exported from Indesign as a high resolution pdf, ready to send to the printer.
Even in the age of GPS and digital maps, this paper map continues to be in high demand. It is printed in runs of 1.5 million copies, and is frequently reprinted to supply this demand.
