We were thrilled to team up with director’s Jesse Vile and Ellena Wood to collaborate on this 4 part Netflix series about The Yorkshire Ripper. The infamous serial killer who terrorised the North of England during the late 1970s.

Our main role was to help create a set of maps which would be referenced continually throughout the series to help display the various resting locations of the murder victims. With over 12 locations to display, it was important that we made a set of reoccurring maps that were effortless for the viewers to understand, with enough information to guide the narrative, yet stay visually interesting and not feel too repetitive. 

Our solution was to create a highly textured and authentic looking master map onto which we were able to display all of the locations. Adorning them with the victims names and photos, as well as hand written time notes and stickers to pinpoint the locations, giving the maps a detective investigation aesthetic. This method allowed us to chronologically display all the murders as they happened. As well as giving us the ability to create detailed close up visuals of the victims. The familiarity and movements of the maps allowed the viewer to easily keep track and stay up to date with the case and the close ups allowed us to evoke a more personal sensitivity to the victims. It was important that we gave the maps a realistic tone and made it feel of the period in which the murders took place.

With a strong visual look established for the maps, we were able to extend this aesthetic to a series of Newspapers which were used in the last episode. Overlaying original assets with our look, we were to able visually unify these assets which would help to push the narrative and bring the graphics together. 

Two other sets of maps were created, a set of broadcast maps which had an archival look, inspired by the broadcast aesthetic of our period of interest and a second set of maps in the same style as the murder maps, to help clarify the counties and associated police constituencies which were involved in the murder investigations. 

Letters which were sent to police were also given a visual treatment by us to help tie them in to the series look.