Behind the design
In this article, I want to break down the design choices I made for this poster, which is inspired by and dedicated to the actual play web series L.A. by Night. I love using my background in media design to express my creativity, and for everyone curious, I used my good old iPad and the free app Sketchbook.
Why did I choose to design a map?
As a nerd, I am obviously a lover of maps — not only because they look very cool but also because they are so practical. Especially in the fantasy genre, maps serve the important purpose of giving the reader an understanding of where the hero is, as the stories often span many pages and, thus, many places. The web series L.A. by Night does not take place in the vastness of Middle-earth, but it is still, in a way, a whole world. A map really helps to get a better grasp of distances, connections, and territories, especially for someone like me who only knew about L.A. through movies.
I was particularly excited about marking the sewer system, as it is not only something rarely seen on maps but also plays a significant role in this web series. And lastly, designing a map comes with research — something I find a lot of joy in.
How did I decide what to add and where on the map?
My research was quite easy, as the web series takes place in a real city. So, I was able to work my way through fan wikis. I first started by looking into the places I could remember from watching the web series so far, but then I tried to look into prominent characters, as this was the easiest way to see if I had missed any places. To this document, I then only had to add some further research on which L.A. neighborhoods the places mentioned in the wikis were located. For some, I even had to make a decision on where to place them: Le Chat Noir, The Deep, and The Mystic Circle were only vaguely described as being “in the valley,” but this meant choosing from around 30 neighborhoods.
What were my thoughts behind the color choices?
In school, I learned the design rule K.I.S.S., which means “keep it short and simple” — something I interpret as not trying to reinvent the wheel but instead combining bold choices with a recognizable base. L.A. by Night is a web series about vampires, so black, red, and white were a given. Building from that, I knew I needed different shades of red to distinguish the different territories of the barons while at the same time staying within the moody vibes.
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I decided to give Nines Rodriguez a shade with some grime and grit, as he is part of the “rebel clan.” Isaac Abrams’ clan has the rose as its symbol, so a luscious red was a no-brainer for me. Therese Voerman’s clan has the stigma of being the “crazy ones,” which meant her color needed to be just as peculiar and striking. Victor Temple is the owner of a hip-hop nightclub, hence his color breaking away from the dusty, traditional crimson and instead embracing a fresh and “hip” purplish shade. And lastly, Fiona, whom I gave a simple blood red.
I knew I wanted to give the sewers a red color as well, as I wanted to connect them metaphorically to the veins and arteries of a body — hidden beneath yet essential. I had to do some layer blending to ensure they remained visible not only over the territories but also within the entire web of roads and borders.
Final touches
A map is always a very busy design, as it consists of many elements. It is, therefore, important to counteract that by giving the design room to breathe and the eyes a place to rest. I combined this need with the fact that I still had to add some sort of indication of what this map represented, which led me to add the Jason Carl quote in the left corner. This quote is not only informative but also sets the tone for the whole piece. The distortion of the font allowed it to fill the free space neatly while also adding further character.
The last step was to add some texture layers to give everything depth.
I just love nerding out about my creative work, so leave me a comment if you have any questions!
