Immigration map with handmade shading

This A3 storytelling map of Europe was the result of an exercise in cartographic presentation. I created a journalistic style layout backed by statistical data and press research, dealing with a big contemporary topic, the refugee crisis resulting from of the Syrian Civil War. I chose this topic as exemplary of the unique clarity of perspective that maps can bring about in dividing societal issues.

The design was meant as an overview of migration that does not isolate the phenomenon from its socio-political context or present it merely in one level. Migrant routes are not symbolised by aggressive arrows, but shown through refugee camp density and hosted populations. A single family journey case study serves to decouple migration from statistical abstraction.

The map features manual shaded relief to avoid cluttering, blending modes, inset information at points of interest, and a double graduated circle/colour symbology to detect “openness” to refugees. The project was completed using QGIS and Inkscape, on a tight deadline in less than a week.