Ski Resort Trail Map Design Process

Under new management, the Alpine Mountain ski resort was interested in updating their outdated and “old fashioned” marketing materials. This project was initiated after I redesigned their logo (as seen in the top right corner of the trail map).

Before & After

Problems to Solve

1. Inaccurate: many of the trail names had changed.
2. They were concerned over the “scale” of the old map.  The resort is actually quite small and quaint, and the old trail map makes it look a lot more like a Colorado adventure than a family friendly resort in the Poconos.
3. The design is not family/kid friendly.

Solutions

After visiting the resort with our artist/illustrator, we were really able to get a feel for what they were looking for. We suggested a more friendly, colorful, painted trail map. The new trail map would be more true to the scale of the resort. We also proposed adding a mascot to the slopes on the map to make it more kid/family friendly. Our proposal:

1. Create a map with updated trail names.
2. Design a fresh and new design that represents the small family feeling of the resort without being old fashioned.
3. Add brighter colors and a snowman “mascot” to make the map more family/kid friendly.

The Process

After taking photos from the top and bottom of the mountain, our artist developed a style board to show Alpine Mountain our proposed plan.

Final Thoughts

This resort painting is much more true to size. It no longer looks like a daunting mountain in Colorado. From Alpine Mountain’s lodge, you can see the top of the mountain. This trail map indicates this scale of this small mountain much more accurately.

Once the painting was approved, the logo, trail names, key and mascot were added to complete the map. The key and other elements are separate from the actual trail map painting, making it easy to update the trail names in the future.