# Zompa — Laurie Mahé Desportes — full reference

Zompa is the studio name of Laurie Mahé Desportes, a designer of graphic props for film and immersive experiences. Graphic props are the fictional documents, environmental signage and graphic set pieces that make an imaginary world feel like it actually exists. The guiding idea behind the work is that the details tell the story.

The site is bilingual: English is the default at the root, French lives under /fr. Every page declares its EN/FR alternates via hreflang.

## About Laurie Mahé Desportes

Laurie Mahé Desportes creates graphic props — fictional documents, signage and printed objects that make an imaginary world feel like it actually exists. She came to the work through a long-standing love of craft and the printed object. She trained in graphic design and found her place in immersive experiences, where graphics are part of the fiction itself rather than decoration. She spent time as an intern with Annie Atkins in Dublin, whose work on fictional documents shaped how she thinks about credibility and detail. She works under the name Zompa Design, making graphic props for film and immersive experiences built around licences and original worlds. Her approach: build every object so that it survives a close look.

In her own words: "I design the graphic elements that make fictional worlds believable. In film, theme parks and immersive experiences, it is often the elements you barely notice that make a world feel like it really exists. My work is less about creating a visual identity than about building that evidence. A newspaper lying on a table, a folded map in a drawer or an aged poster on a wall often says more than a long description. Every element is designed as if it belonged to a real environment."

Clients and licences she has worked with include Warner Bros. and DC Comics, Netflix, Ubisoft, Koezio, Hachette Livre, Banijay, Rush Action Game and Festyland.

## Projects

### [Batman Escape](https://zompa.fr/work/batman-escape/)
French version: https://zompa.fr/fr/travaux/batman-escape/
Location-based experience under licence from Warner Bros. and DC Comics, produced by Dama Dreams. Laurie designed the full range of graphic materials built into the set: signage, posters, fictional documents, cards, narrative props and environmental dressing. Developed with the Dama Dreams teams, these elements contribute to the construction of Gotham City, bringing context, coherence and traces of life across the different spaces. Missions: environmental graphics, concept design, signage, fictional documents and narrative props. Fields: signage, set / decor, props.

### [Funfair Games](https://zompa.fr/work/funfair-games/)
French version: https://zompa.fr/fr/travaux/funfair-games/
Action games in a funfair world produced by Koezio. Laurie imagined the park's two emblematic characters, Archibald and Micheline, along with a series of twelve posters staging the different attractions. Designed to welcome visitors and guide them throughout the experience, these characters were also turned into monumental frescoes that transform the façades into genuine funfair entrances. The illustrations borrow the graphic codes of early twentieth-century funfair posters, while weaving in deliberate anachronisms that bring a touch of humour and playful contrast to the whole. Missions: character design, illustration and environmental graphics. Fields: signage, set / decor.

### [Stranger Things](https://zompa.fr/work/stranger-things/)
French version: https://zompa.fr/fr/travaux/stranger-things/
Narrative investigation game under Netflix licence, published by Platonia Games ("Dossiers Criminels Stranger Things : L'Ombre de Hawkins"). Laurie designed a set of fictional documents that extend the world of the series: local newspapers, school records, maps, photographs, interfaces and other printed pieces handled by the players as the investigation unfolds. Each piece helps tell a story while fitting naturally into the world of Hawkins. Developed from the official licence documentation and extensive research into the graphic references of 1980s Indiana, these materials were designed to extend the visual language of the series. Missions: art direction and graphic props design. Fields: props.

### [Mes petites énigmes](https://zompa.fr/work/mes-petites-enigmes/)
French version: https://zompa.fr/fr/travaux/mes-petites-enigmes/
Collection of historical narrative puzzle books published by Hachette Livre. Since 2022, Hachette Éducation has entrusted Laurie with the art direction of its "Mes petites énigmes" collection for adult readers. Each new volume is built around a different historical setting, calling for a specific visual identity, illustrations and editorial system. For "Arsène Lupin et la Pie voleuse", the work draws on iconographic and historical research to faithfully capture the aesthetics of the Belle Époque through its documents, illustrations and narrative materials. Missions: art direction of the collection, graphic design, illustration, historical research, editorial layout.

### [Viking blacksmith's slate](https://zompa.fr/work/forge-viking/)
French version: https://zompa.fr/fr/travaux/forge-viking/
Graphic prop created for the queue line of the Valkyrie attraction at Festyland. This slate was designed to dress the workshop of a Viking blacksmith. Drawing on runic inscriptions and Nordic craftsmanship, it adds to the credibility of the narrative environment, giving visitors the feeling of stepping into a real workshop. Missions: iconographic research, graphic design, preparation for large-format printing. Fields: signage, props.

### [Steampunk submarine](https://zompa.fr/work/sous-marin-steampunk/)
French version: https://zompa.fr/fr/travaux/sous-marin-steampunk/
Scenographic wall decor created for the Rush Action Game franchise. Created for the Memory room, this decor supports the room's environmental storytelling by turning printed surfaces into a believable submarine interior. The graphic panels were designed to adapt to different wall configurations so they could be deployed across the network's various franchises. Missions: art direction of the decor, graphic design, preparation for large-format printing. Fields: set / decor, signage.

## Journal — "The details tell the story"

The journal covers behind-the-scenes work, analysis, and conversations with people who build fictional worlds for a living, around the idea that the details tell the story.

### [What cinema taught me about graphic props](https://zompa.fr/journal/what-cinema-taught-me-about-graphic-props/)
When we think about what makes a fictional world believable, we usually think of the sets, costumes or lighting — yet graphic elements play an equally important role. Cinema has understood this for decades: Harry Potter's Hogwarts letter, Willy Wonka's Golden Ticket, the treasure map from The Goonies. These pieces of paper are graphic props. They are far more than decorative objects: they trigger the story, carry information and move the characters forward. Trained in film graphic design by Annie Atkins, Laurie adapted these methods to the creation of narrative environments. Whether it is a fictional subway map, a newspaper from an invented country or a discarded ticket found on the floor, every piece is designed with the same objective: to make the world feel more coherent, more lived-in and ultimately more believable. The article uses Batman Escape, designed by Dama Dreams, as its main case study.

### [Meeting Brian Willson, creator of historical typefaces](https://zompa.fr/journal/meeting-brian-willson-historical-typefaces/)
A handwritten letter does not only communicate what is written on the page: its paper, ink and handwriting already tell us something about the world it comes from. That is why typography plays such an important role in the creation of fictional documents — a convincing typeface can be enough to make us forget that a document was designed today. Laurie discovered Brian Willson's historical typefaces through Annie Atkins while attending a graphic prop design workshop in Dublin, and they have since become an essential part of many of the fictional documents she creates. The article is a conversation with Willson about his career, his inspirations, his creative process and his fascination with historical handwriting: originally from Austin, Texas, he began as a newspaper journalist before finding his way into type design in 1993, when he turned an art director's handwriting into his first typeface.

## Contact

- Email: contact@zompa.fr
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zompa-design
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zompa_design