Belfast Art Map

The Belfast Art Map is a starting point for discovering the rich and vibrant art scene of Belfast. Produced by Belfast Visual Arts Forum and supported by Belfast City Council, the map covers a range of galleries, artist studios and public art in both central and greater Belfast. It also includes information on art-related tours and events happening around the city, uncovering the best of Belfast’s striking street art, architecture and local heritage.

I worked closely with Belfast Visual Arts Forum to create an identity for the map that would appeal to tourists and local people who might not be as familiar with the art scene in Belfast, as well as those in the visual arts community who are eager to explore the scene further. I created a system for the map which would show central Belfast, with a more condensed grouping of places on one side, as well showing greater Belfast on the reverse, covering all other places to be included. We established a marker system and a key to differentiate between galleries with regular hours, places accessible by appointment only and public art that is accessible round the clock. I also illustrated a number of landmarks around the city, with the intention of providing easily recognisable points of reference on the map, helping to make the map as clear and easy to navigate as possible.

The first edition of the map was produced to cover 2016–17, with a view to creating expanded future editions, making it a constant presence in the city.