Paul Crawford-Smith is a graphic designer and map artist whose work explores the visual infrastructure of cities. He has worked in the design industry since 2005, building a career in high-end corporate design across print and digital media. Through his studio, Pie & Mash Design, established in London in 2010, he’s produced branding and visual communications for a wide range of professional clients, including organisations such as the London Stock Exchange.

Alongside this work, a lifelong fascination with cartography has remained a constant influence. Introduced to maps through orienteering in his youth, Paul developed an early appreciation for the way maps combine navigation, design and a huge amount of real-world information.

MetroMaps brings together the disciplines of Paul’s professional graphic design background and a lifelong interest in cartography. Using carefully curated geographic data and a refined vector-based design system, each map reveals the hidden structure of a city — its streets, pathways, transit lines, waterways and parks — presented as both an information-rich visual reference and a contemporary piece of wall art.

Paul says "I've been engrossed by maps for as long as I can remember. From an early age, my father would draw a map of our garden and hide my 50p pocket money somewhere in the garden. My only means to find it was through him marking the spot on the map. I can only imagine this is the inception point for my love affair with maps!"