Simon Puech is a French content creator known for his work on geopolitical and social issues. After reporting from Ukraine and Afghanistan, he went to the border between Poland and Belarus to document how migrants are treated there. He asked me for 3D maps that place his journey and his observations on the ground, so viewers can follow his path.
Simon's style blends brutalism and minimalism, so we gathered references together to guide the maps. After two weeks of tests, we landed on a minimal, monochrome format: only the area Simon talks about is shown, higher ground is slightly darker to give a concrete-like depth, and red lasers are projected onto the terrain to highlight information and add contrast.
Given how serious the subject is, accuracy came first. Points of interest come from maps published by the Polish authorities, the terrain comes from Mapzen's open-source Tangram heightmapper, and the borders were traced from satellite imagery and Google Maps. The lasers are 2D black and white motion graphics synchronised with Simon's narration, using IBM Carbon icons and my own icons in the same spirit. Each map shows GPS coordinates at the top left and Simon's logo, designed by Léo Villars (Travisuals), at the bottom right.
