When the Delray Historical Beach Tour approached Sack Lunch and requested a fully illustrated custom map, you probably wouldn’t expect someone who has lived in Delray all of 6 months to head up the illustration process.  However, at Sack Lunch, we are used to going the extra mile, and sometimes that means quite literally.

To prepare for such an important project, I took one weekend, hopped on my bike and decided to immerse myself in Delray Beach culture.  Riding up and down Atlantic, I was able to see all the proposed historical sites for myself.  Some sites had long been renovated, others still standing in all their historical significance.  I went to an outdoor art market, took pictures in front of giant pineapple murals, peeked in at the outdoor bars, and sampled some frozen treats on the particularly sunny day.  I must have ridden the proposed route 3 times and loved every second of it.

This is Delray Culture, it is fun and whimsical with just a hint of wacky.  By touring the city myself, one thing became very clear: a typical, boringly illustrated tour map would NOT work for Delray.  This city deserved something that was uniquely its own, and I started formulating a design style and tone that I felt imbued the spirit of Delray Culture.

I started by sketching some of the exterior illustrations of the map, specifically the people and places I saw. Shoppers, palm trees; sun and surf. I then moved on the buildings in the tour that were still standing, converting them to this new whimsical style. I wanted tour-goers to recognize some of the locations in the map just from seeing their depictions, but also be delighted by a unique style.  I drew sketch after sketch, filling every inch of the map with smaller details.  It is my hope that every time you pick up the map, you’ll notice something new hidden away that will make you smile.

In the end, this became a very personal project.  I had immersed myself in Delray culture and it greatly impacted the future designs I would be doing.  I wouldn’t stand for regular and boring designs, it was time to get to work on a wacky, wild, and beautiful map.  At Sack Lunch, we are always ready to go the extra mile for the clients, but for the Delray Beach Historical Tour, we -technically- went the extra 6.5 miles (according to my fitness app).