The Hand-Drawn Difference

During an emergency, your maps and plans should be easy to use, simple to access, and available the instant you need them. At Rich Worthington Designs, we work exclusively with scalable vector graphics (SVG) files, and deliver high-resolution PDF files that can be printed at any scale or viewed on any device capable of reading PDF files (i.e. any computer or smart phone). Because our plans are hand-drawn, we are able to keep finished file sizes extremely low; our average building floor plan is well under 100kb in size. This means that our plans can be uploaded to most incident management and Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) programs, without having to worry about file size.

Below are some of the benefits of selecting hand-drawn vector images for your next mapping project:

Ease of Use

With a hand-drawn map or floor plan, you'll get only the information that your organization needs, with no extraneous information to get in your way. The architectural plans and blueprints that many public safety agencies use to obtain building information are often too large to store electronically and too confusing to use during an emergency. Many of the architectural details drawn on blueprints simply aren't important to first responders, and can make floor plans difficult or impossible to read.

Scalability

Unlike other types of image files, vector images maintain their clarity at any scale, large or small. This means that the same map or floor plan can be viewed on your phone, on your computer, or even blown up and printed on a large-format printer. You don't need to deal with different image sizes or versions; just send the plan to your device or printer and it will automatically scale to the right size.

Customization

Unlike companies that base their maps on GIS or other mapping software, at Rich Worthington Designs we start each project with a blank canvas. If you can imagine it, we can draw it. Below are some of the types of critical response information that we have included on floor plans on past projects:

• Hazardous materials storage locations (including chemical names, formulas and NFPA 704 diamonds)

• Knox-Box ® locations

• Door keypad codes & building access information

• Cover/concealment locations for tactical law enforcement operations

• Building emergency contact information

• Traffic control points

Get in touch

We know that finding the right fit for your graphic design needs can be difficult. That’s why we offer free consultations to walk you through your needs, the scope of your goals, and your budget.

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How the Process Works

To create our custom floor plans, we start by taking your existing preplans and as-built drawings and use them to create custom drawings. Regardless of the type or format of the plan(s) you provide us with, we draw every building from scratch, ensuring that the final design includes only the information that you want to see. If your project includes multiple buildings, we will help you to select a design style and will apply that style to every drawing, creating consistency that will make your plans simple and easy to use.

If your current plans are electronic, you can email them directly to us for a quick quote. If you have printed plans, we can come to your site and scan/photograph them. Plans and blueprints up to 36"x50" are typically scanned, while larger prints are photographed. In the (extremely rare) event that no plans of any type are available for your building, we are capable of measuring your building and creating a floor plan from scratch (requires site visit).