This project began as an illustration for an online learning portal. I had a wide open brief but the subject was international online learning of the English language. I began brainstorming about international students, then thought of a nephew of mine who had gone Interrailing one summer. An image search of Interrail gave me some great images of European trains crossing high viaducts, so I began thinking how I could apply this to UK iconography and landmarks, as the subject was the English language.

My pitch became a railway station surrounded by train lines, each carrying a different nationality train along a track surrounded or supported by either learning ephemera or British landmarks. One of the first pieces I had in mind was Stonehenge in a teacup. Angel of the North had to be in there, as did Westminster's Big Ben tower. After some more digging for UK landmarks online I was reminded about the Liver Building and to keep Wales and Scotland involved I added the Forth Rail Bridge and the fountain from Roald Dahl Plass in Cardiff Bay (also known as the Torchwood Tower from the much-loved BBC Dr Who spin off). 

I worked the idea up in Adobe Illustrator, sticking to an approximate isometric plane though presenting some elements on different angles to suit the composition. Researching and drafting the trains took the longest time as they're so detailed, but it felt important to have a balance between lots of detail and the amount the eye could "read" in a single image.

Although the client was in constant contact during the development phase, once they saw the design coming together they asked for a simpler concept, that I ultimately delivered. After all it was their project, and the design had to work for their needs. However, I had too much fun putting this together to consign it to the trash file, so I hope you enjoy perusing some of the details here.