I have found that it is pretty fun to make a quick little map letting people know where you are going, or less useful, where you are leaving.
Where did Wes go?
This is one of the earlier examples I can find. It was of the less useful sort, letting you know that I wasn't going to be in California. It was an example of trying to incorporate subtle fill patterns. I found that testing new ideas on something like a piece of paper pasted to the door was a good place to do it. It had one huge advantage. I wouldn't see it for a couple of weeks. When I got back to the office it would be the first thing I saw. If I still liked it, it meant that there was something too the technique I was trying.
What a great city! In this map, I was trying to digitally replicate hand drawn hachures. I had lost this image for years and just came across this while putting together this site. Something about it still works. Now if only I can find the working files to pick up where I left off...
I am pretty sure I made this when I was off to my sister's wedding. Making maps of Hawaii is great because that place WANTS you to make a happy playful map.