Chicago's Magnificent Mile

Illustration ©Modify Ink

I love retro travel posters. Ever since I was a teen I have collected them.

I was given a project to design a series of travel posters for Modify Ink. The first poster I designed was of Chicago. At the time I illustrated this my son was living in the windy city.

I wanted the poster to capture the personality of the city.  At first I was going to do a view from of the lake of the city's shoreline. But after a weekend visit  I changed direction and chose a view of the city from within the city. With the focus of the poster being placed on the amazing architecture of Chicago, it became more dramatic and challenging.

The style I rendered it in is a quasi realism interspersed with stylized retro elements like the pedestrians crossing the avenue.  I wanted the sky to have a personality of its own. Instead of a typical light blue fade to darker blue, or interesting clouds floating by,  I chose an dramatic fade of a bold teal to yellow and then into a lighter blue green. I really like how it makes the skyline pop yet and complements the overall design.

The series also includes posters of NY/Washington Square looking down to the Empire State Building, Los Angeles/Santa Monica Pier, and San Francisco/cable car looking out to the bay and Alcatraz. For the San Francisco poster I included the Dolores Street Victorian that I used to live in as part of the homes lining the street.