In its 17 years of business, Map Ink, (formerly JHill Design) has grown from being an inventory-based business that wholesaled to shops like West Elm and Art.com, to a print-on-demand/direct-to-consumer e-commerce shop. I was one of the first 200 shops on Shopify! I’ve taken Map Ink to big trade shows in NYC, and been featured in editorial gift guides in a variety of magazines and online publications.
outcome
marketing
Customer Research, Continuous Marketing Calendar, Press Outreach, Wholesale Partnerships
design
Website, Marketing Collateral, Packaging, Product Design, Trade Show collateral, and Email Blasts
www.MapInk.net
In 2004, I started the "Places I Have Never Been" drawing series during a drive to NH on a dark night. I started daydreaming about places I had never been to and started to see patterns. When I got home, I started to sketch and decided to put the drawings together as a desk calendar gift for my design clients. People enjoyed the calendar so I started to sell them and it organically morphed into a print series of "modern travel posters." Over 100 patterns have been created and dedicated to places around the world (from Charleston, South Carolina, to Bangkok, Thailand)...
the story
Branding
Map Ink started as JHill Design and underwent a name change a few years ago to bring it into alignment with its offerings. The branding has always been inspired by vintage travel and postal design elements.
Product Design
The line expanded into a series of Animal Alphabet prints when I started to need baby gifts for friends and family. These were featured in Real Simple's holiday gift guide.
We started to personalize the text of my maps and posters to create unique wedding, engagement, and baby gifts.
The patterns have been used in my yearly wall and desk calendars as well as having been licensed to home decor companies as well as interesting places like Specialized Bikes.
Each map is filled with a pattern from my series "Places I Have Never Been - drawings of imaginary vacations". I researched places and daydreamed about them, and would then draw that layered, geometric daydream as a pattern. And yes, I've been lucky to go to many since!
The line started as a series of vintage-like travel posters and then turned into maps. From there I did a series of neighborhood maps for big cities, collaging together my patterns like a quilt.
Map Ink is undergoing a very fun redesign at the moment. The current site features my maps and posters that you can shop by style or by place.
Website
As Seen In
Holiday Gifts for the Design Lover, Boston Magazine, 2015
Marathon Maps, Boston Globe, 2015
Business Lady Profile: JHill, Design*Sponge, 2014
West Elm's Fenway Store Goes Local, Boston Magazine, 2014
West Elm is Going Local - Southie Local, Caught in Southie, 2014
Design*Sponge 2007 - 2012
All That Authenticity May be Getting Old, New York Times, 2011
Get The Look: Elephants, Style Carrot, 2010
Top Gifts Under $50, Real Simple, 2009
Success Shopify Stories, Shopify Blog, 2009
Daydream Achiever, Boston Globe, 2008
Oh the Places They'll Go, Boston Magazine, 2008
JHill Design, Dooce, 2007
