Beyond function: an illustration-driven climbing guide
Most climbing guides read like spreadsheets. For Berdorf, I wanted something with character: precise enough to climb by, rich enough to read. I had full creative freedom, and I used all of it.
So the guide became a full visual system, with editorial layouts, a distinct illustration style, a custom icon set, and a typeface drawn just for this book.
The illustrations carry the details. There's a do's-and-don'ts spread packed with small scenes, and an illustrated interview with climbing legend Ben Moon. Throughout the book, a cast of characters reflects the climbing community. They point out hazards and local climbing rules with a wink, helping everyone enjoy the rocks while respecting the surrounding nature.
A typeface of its own
The guide speaks in its own letters. I drew the Berdorf typeface by hand and refined it digitally, so the guide has a voice before you've read a single route.
A mentor on every page
Every crag has someone who’s seen it all. In this guide it’s a frog with a staff, popping up between routes with short hints and dry observations.
A mentor who knows exactly when a bit of humour helps.
80 pages of climbing. From route pages and icons to the typeface and T-shirts, it shows that a topo can be precise and still have character. Sadly, the guide was never printed as planned.
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Turning Bern into a boulder topo, frame by frame