Wild Animal Sanctuary Illustrated Map (2015 version)

Illustrated Map for the Wild Animal Sanctuary - 2015

Artist, Illustrator, Designer: John Potter - Escape Key Graphics
Client: The Wild Animal Sanctuary
Visit The Wild Animal Sanctuary website at WildAnimalSanctuary.org

About the Sanctuary

The Wild Animal Sanctuary, located in Keenesburg, Colorado, is a highly respected nonprofit organization devoted to rescuing animals from abusive and neglectful captive situations. They provide lifelong care within expansive, natural habitats where animals can roam freely and live alongside others of their own species. Their work plays an important role in animal welfare, conservation, and public education. For visitors, the sanctuary offers an experience that is both informative and deeply meaningful.

The Original 2013 Map

I was first commissioned in 2013 to create an illustrated map for the sanctuary. The venue is expansive, which is ideal for the animals but presented a unique design challenge. If I rendered the animals to scale, they would have appeared as tiny, nearly invisible dots on the map. That would not help anyone.

To solve this, I created enlarged spot illustrations of the animals. This let visitors easily identify each species while adding a sense of whimsy and engagement to the map. I did something similar with features like the sanctuary's elevated walkway, scaling them proportionally larger than reality to make them visually prominent and guide guests along key paths. A numbered key identified each animal enclosure, and intuitive icons highlighted essential amenities like restrooms, picnic areas, and visitor centers.

The resulting map balanced functional wayfinding with playful illustration. It helped guests navigate with ease while emphasizing the sanctuary's mission and immersive experience. The map was used across multiple platforms, including on site signage, printed guides, and the sanctuary's website.

The 2015 Update

The version you see here is an update I created in 2015 to reflect a significant expansion of the sanctuary. The list of keyed animal enclosures grew from 36 to 65. I also added direct labeling on the map for quick recognition. New labels included the Welcome Center, a camping area, the business office, veterinary clinic, operations office, carnivore nutrition center, and resource center. Magnifying glass icons point to areas that have their own additional detail maps.

This expansion was accomplished by building on the three dimensional digital model I had created back in 2013. I needed to create new vector based spot illustrations for the additional animals, but the existing ones scaled easily. The whole process was smooth.

Why That Matters

The ease of this update is testimony to a robust and flexible process based on reusable, expandable assets that can be revised without starting over. It is also testimony to good file management and legacy file maintenance. I keep digital files from long ago projects in intuitive directory structures. I can go back years later and pick up where I left off without major hassles. This came up recently on a project over ten years old. The client was surprised to find that I still had the files, knew exactly where they were, and could begin work on revisions immediately. This is not just about reducing my own labor. It is about reducing turnaround time for clients who need updates fast.

Your Project

If you need a map for your facility, whether it is a sanctuary, a park, a resort, or any other venue, let me know. I have done this work before and I would be glad to do it for you.