Creating the Warminster Visitor Map

Illustrated Tourist Boards, Leaflets and Heritage Interpretation

Clear, engaging visitor maps can transform how people explore a place. When Warminster Town Council approached me to help create a set of illustrated visitor maps, the aim was simple: make it easier for visitors to discover the town’s shops, heritage sites and beautiful green spaces.

The project grew into a collection of illustrated materials including three outdoor tourist boards, a visitor leaflet and a commemorative illustration for a 100-year anniversary mug celebrating the Lake Pleasure Grounds.
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Together, these pieces form a cohesive visual guide to the town and its attractions.

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​Designing the Warminster Visitor Map

The heart of the project was a clear, colourful illustrated town map designed to help visitors quickly understand where everything is.Key goals for the map included:

• Making the town centre easy to navigate
• Highlighting key visitor attractions and landmarks
• Showing routes to nearby destinations such as Bath, Salisbury, Longleat and Frome
• Encouraging visitors to explore the Lake Pleasure Grounds and Smallbrook Meadows Nature Reserve

Rather than relying purely on street names, I created illustrated landmarks and icons to make the map intuitive and engaging for all ages.

This style is particularly helpful for:

• families
• tourists unfamiliar with the town
• international visitors
• people exploring on foot

The map also includes clear colour coding for amenities such as parking, train stations, toilets and shopping areas.

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​Tourist Information Boards

Drawing these maps as vectors means I can easily re-size them for different materials and needs.

One of the most exciting parts of the project was seeing the maps transformed into large outdoor visitor boards installed around Warminster.
These boards act as “You Are Here” guides, helping visitors orient themselves and discover things to see and do nearby.
They combine the illustrated map with additional visitor information, including:
​Places to Visit

• Lake Pleasure Grounds
• Smallbrook Meadows Nature Reserve
• The Athenaeum
• Chapel of St Lawrence
• The Blue Plaque Trail

Shopping

• Independent shops
• Three Horseshoes Walk
• The Cornmarket
• Market Place and High Street

Food & Drink

• Local cafés, pubs and restaurants
• Independent eateries throughout the town centre

These boards are designed to be clear, welcoming and durable, helping visitors feel confident exploring the town.

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​Visitor Leaflet

Alongside the outdoor boards, I also designed a folded visitor leaflet using the same illustrated map.
The leaflet allows visitors to:

• take the map with them
• explore the town at their own pace
• discover attractions they might otherwise miss

Keeping the design consistent between the boards and leaflet ensures visitors instantly recognise the map wherever they see it.

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Celebrating 100 Years of the Lake Pleasure Grounds

As part of the project, I also created an illustrated scene celebrating the 100-year anniversary of the Lake Pleasure Grounds.

The illustration captures the atmosphere of the park today — people enjoying the lake, families relaxing on the grass, musicians performing in the bandstand and visitors exploring the park’s pathways.
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This artwork was used on a commemorative anniversary mug, creating a special keepsake celebrating the park’s history and community spirit.

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​Why Illustrated Visitor Maps Work

Illustrated maps offer something that standard maps often cannot: personality and storytelling.
They help visitors feel connected to a place by highlighting:

• local landmarks
  
• heritage buildings
  
• parks and nature spaces
  
• cultural venues
  

For towns, heritage sites and visitor attractions, they also help:
✔ encourage visitors to explore more widely
✔ support local businesses
✔ improve visitor experience
✔ create a strong sense of place

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​A Flexible Approach for Visitor Destinations

Every destination is different, so my maps are designed to be adaptable across multiple formats, including:

• visitor boards
• trail maps
• printed leaflets
• interpretation panels
• tourism websites
• merchandise and souvenirs

This ensures the map can continue to be useful across a wide range of visitor materials.

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Thinking About a Map for Your Town or Visitor Site?

I specialise in creating bespoke illustrated maps and visitor interpretation for:

• towns and councils
• heritage sites
• parks and nature reserves
• tourism destinations
• museums and visitor centres

If you’d like to discuss a map for your site, feel free to get in touch.

Get in touch