Graphic USA Explores 25 Cities

By Betsy Mikel in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 1, 2011 9:20PM

When a copy of Graphic USA: An Alternative Guide to 25 U.S. Cities arrived in our mailbox, we immediately wanted to know more before we even cracked open the cover. First and foremost, it looked cool. Once we began flipping through it, the content put any doodles we’ve ever drawn to shame. Inside is a collection of 25 illustrators’ unique styles and perspective on different cities, from Anchorage, Alaska to New Orleans, to, of course, Chicago. Part guide book, part graphical exploration of the cities, Graphic USA is a treat for both travelers and illustrators alike.

So we got in touch with editor Ziggy Hanaor of Cicada Books to find out how this amazing book was born. She originally came up with the idea with a designer to create a city guide in Europe where all the cities were collected together in a single book, with interpretive rather than literal illustrations. Last year, Graphic Europe was born. Graphic USA is a continuation of the project. “The visuals express the designer/illustrators interpretations of their cities in a non-literal way, and are also a gallery of exciting new talent,” Hanaor said. The process of curating Graphic USA started with first identifying the cities they wanted to include, then searching for designers located in those cities. Between design blogs, friends of friends and Google image search, Hanaor was able to find designers who she thought would be a good fit for the project. She then gave them creative freedom to write whatever they wanted, as long as they included five to six locations of hotels, restaurants, bars, galleries and culture.

Daniel Blackman was the illustrator for the Chicago portion. At the time, he was living in the Bucktown/Wicker Park area, which inspired a lot of the locations he chose to illustrate. In his introduction to his illustrations in Graphic USA, Blackman writes: “I have to confess that these areas are all hipster hangouts that were once a little bit down-at-hell and have become increasingly trendy. However, that doesn’t make them any less fun or beautiful - it just means you need to watch out for fixed gears, neon tank tops, and Ray Bans.” So you’ll find recommendations for Big Star, Violet Hour and Saint Alfred, to name a few. “For me Chicago is about the people, and the nightlife,” he said. So in selecting locations to highlight, he chose places he would take friends who were visiting.

“The challenge wasn't so much illustrating a specific spot but for me was to create illustrations that worked together as a system to form the section,” Blackman said. “I really wanted to create something that felt a bit more blue collar and bold to reflect that hardworking Midwest mentality outta Chicago.”