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Look around you right now.
Do you see any book covers? Artwork or posters? Bills, forms or pamphlets? Packaging or labels?
By now you may be familiar with the order-of-magnitude estimate: the average American is exposed to roughly 4,000–10,000 ads per day. That’s just “ads.” It doesn’t count the rest of the designed objects you interact with seamlessly every day— like exit signs, medical forms, warning labels, menus, transit maps, or the icons that tell you what a button does.
We can all see a red hexagon in the road and surmise that we had better stop. We see a skull on a bottle and think twice about having a drink.
Do you see any book covers? Artwork or posters? Bills, forms or pamphlets? Packaging or labels?
By now you may be familiar with the order-of-magnitude estimate: the average American is exposed to roughly 4,000–10,000 ads per day. That’s just “ads.” It doesn’t count the rest of the designed objects you interact with seamlessly every day— like exit signs, medical forms, warning labels, menus, transit maps, or the icons that tell you what a button does.
We can all see a red hexagon in the road and surmise that we had better stop. We see a skull on a bottle and think twice about having a drink.
One widely cited study found that the average American checks their phone around 96 times per day, repeatedly returning to the same interface iconography—often more frequently than they see their parents’ faces, or the seat of government of their own country.
One of the biggest mistakes a world-builder can make, in this world-builder’s opinion, is to leave their world graphically naked.
One of the biggest mistakes a world-builder can make, in this world-builder’s opinion, is to leave their world graphically naked.
So what is a graphic prop?
Think about Tolkien’s maps. The Wizarding World’s newspapers and candy packaging. Wicked’s propaganda posters and the Grimmerie. When a fictional world has strong iconography, you don’t have to look for its richness and depth. You’re already grounded in it. You can feel it.
A “graphic prop” is any tangible, designed artifact with graphics, text, or illustration serving to build the world, reveal character, and advance the story. Like faux newspapers, maps, letters, and so on. A graphic prop usually implies a system behind it: a world with history and culture, rules and institutions, routine and consequence.
A “graphic prop” is any tangible, designed artifact with graphics, text, or illustration serving to build the world, reveal character, and advance the story. Like faux newspapers, maps, letters, and so on. A graphic prop usually implies a system behind it: a world with history and culture, rules and institutions, routine and consequence.
A large Wicked Witch propoganda banner from the Wicked films
A map shows us national borders, geography, and implies history. A poster speaks to propaganda and public life. A letter gives us clues about relationships and bureaucracy. Signage denotes governance, public gathering, and what is commodified. A book cover can communicate culture and societal development. A form tells us about government and compliance. A ticket reveals who gets access, who gets excluded, and what is considered entertainment.
Graphic props are also the iconography of your world in a broad sense: symbols that compress meaning into an object you can recognize instantly. Our world is built on iconography- we rely on it for instant context, history, and clues about how to operate. It plays a major role in how we navigate everything from how not to die, to getting candy out of a machine.
Graphic props are also the iconography of your world in a broad sense: symbols that compress meaning into an object you can recognize instantly. Our world is built on iconography- we rely on it for instant context, history, and clues about how to operate. It plays a major role in how we navigate everything from how not to die, to getting candy out of a machine.
Tolkien.
A film replica map of Middle-earth.
If you want the most deep-rooted, genre-defining contemporary glimpse of the impact of graphic props, you have to start with Tolkien and Middle-earth.
Tolkien wasn’t only a novelist; he was a draftsman, a linguist, a mapmaker. A visual designer of his own mythos. Tolkien’s maps are some of the most recognizable fantasy iconography in the world. You may even see more of his maps than actual narrative excerpts from his books.
The popular documentation of Tolkien’s maps makes the practical point: If a world of sentient beings exists, it produces iconography, therefore including that iconography isn’t just decoration. It’s the context clues to your entire world- clues that people can touch and feel in theirs.
Tolkien wasn’t only a novelist; he was a draftsman, a linguist, a mapmaker. A visual designer of his own mythos. Tolkien’s maps are some of the most recognizable fantasy iconography in the world. You may even see more of his maps than actual narrative excerpts from his books.
The popular documentation of Tolkien’s maps makes the practical point: If a world of sentient beings exists, it produces iconography, therefore including that iconography isn’t just decoration. It’s the context clues to your entire world- clues that people can touch and feel in theirs.
A Hot Take On The Wizard Woman In 2026
(Yes, Really)
So here’s a claim I’m willing to sign my name under:
The memorability of the Harry Potter universe is due more to clever graphic design than coherent world-building.
I’m not saying the story had no charm—though, full disclosure, I’m a trans guy, and while I loved the books as a child, that charm has largely evaporated for me as I learned about the author’s ideologies and watched her increasingly harm my community over the years.
But the felt reality of the Wizarding World—the sense that it exists beyond the page--comes from the unusual density and concreteness of its graphic props.
Even before the films came out, you could buy Hogwarts acceptance letters, Bertie Botts every Flavor Beans, and chocolate frogs at the bookstore. Fans were speculating about the design of these materials before the films came out as well, and creating their own interpretations, fueling the visual legacy before there was an official one. It only snowballed from there.
You get a sense of history and culture from the newspapers, textbooks, posters, tickets, product packaging, crests, heraldry, and bureaucratic ephemera. Much of that visual infrastructure is the work of MinaLima, the studio behind iconic graphic props for the Harry Potter films.
In this world-builder’s opinion (again), it is no coincidence that MinaLima is probably the first graphic design studio to play such a central role in a film franchise's visual development that it became deservedly famous from the association. Their work is what makes the wizarding world feel truly lived-in, rather than any exceptional writing skill.
In other words:
The visual design language of the films are what made an extremely derivative work feel so original.
The memorability of the Harry Potter universe is due more to clever graphic design than coherent world-building.
I’m not saying the story had no charm—though, full disclosure, I’m a trans guy, and while I loved the books as a child, that charm has largely evaporated for me as I learned about the author’s ideologies and watched her increasingly harm my community over the years.
But the felt reality of the Wizarding World—the sense that it exists beyond the page--comes from the unusual density and concreteness of its graphic props.
Even before the films came out, you could buy Hogwarts acceptance letters, Bertie Botts every Flavor Beans, and chocolate frogs at the bookstore. Fans were speculating about the design of these materials before the films came out as well, and creating their own interpretations, fueling the visual legacy before there was an official one. It only snowballed from there.
You get a sense of history and culture from the newspapers, textbooks, posters, tickets, product packaging, crests, heraldry, and bureaucratic ephemera. Much of that visual infrastructure is the work of MinaLima, the studio behind iconic graphic props for the Harry Potter films.
In this world-builder’s opinion (again), it is no coincidence that MinaLima is probably the first graphic design studio to play such a central role in a film franchise's visual development that it became deservedly famous from the association. Their work is what makes the wizarding world feel truly lived-in, rather than any exceptional writing skill.
In other words:
The visual design language of the films are what made an extremely derivative work feel so original.
A collage of MinaLima graphic design work for the Harry Potter films.
You can build a huge dragon puppet and terrorize your guests with it — and I have— but think about walking through a world with dragon-burn ointments and repellants in window displays. Dragon activity warning notices. Old masters studying bestiary pages of different draconic species. Advertisements for dragon-proof textiles and building materials. Dragonfire safety pamphlets. Draconic territory maps in the town square. A near-total absence of gold in favor of silver, even in signage and manuscripts. You get the idea.
You may imagine holding a bottle of dragon repellant in your hand, or soothing a burn, or even building special enclosures to protect your livestock. If you’re like most people, you may find that dragon becoming concrete in your mind before you've ever even seen it, when it’s integrated into the everyday iconography of the world.
At that point, the dragon itself doesn’t have to be all that impressive to be believed.
And the point of all this-- my own personal crusade-- is that, unlike a dragon, you can print graphic props at home.
You may imagine holding a bottle of dragon repellant in your hand, or soothing a burn, or even building special enclosures to protect your livestock. If you’re like most people, you may find that dragon becoming concrete in your mind before you've ever even seen it, when it’s integrated into the everyday iconography of the world.
At that point, the dragon itself doesn’t have to be all that impressive to be believed.
And the point of all this-- my own personal crusade-- is that, unlike a dragon, you can print graphic props at home.
Wicked and the Power of Graphic Props
Glinda from Wicked: For Good sitting on a 'throne' made from stacks of Wicked Witch propoganda flyers.
Wicked is a strong recent example of the impact of iconography and graphic props, not just because its identity is bound up with a small set of time-tested graphics and symbols. (The emerald green, the black hat silhouette, the broom, the Ozian aesthetic language, and now the Grimmerie.) But also because the recent films drastically expand the universe’s graphic landscape. Pop-up books. Propaganda posters. Multiple regional newspapers. Product packaging. Invitations. Piles of bureaucratic ephemera. Textbooks. Signage & attraction tickets. The list goes on.
The volume approaches Wizarding World levels. (Combined with the layout they chose for the Emerald City even down to the inclusion of a train, it's enough to make this Wicked fan wonder if there’s an idea floating to re-skin a certain already wizard-centric theme park area in the future.)
The volume approaches Wizarding World levels. (Combined with the layout they chose for the Emerald City even down to the inclusion of a train, it's enough to make this Wicked fan wonder if there’s an idea floating to re-skin a certain already wizard-centric theme park area in the future.)
Glinda surrounded by assistants all holding various forms and beurocratic ephemera for her to sign, from Wicked: For Good
You can see how aggressively Wicked leans into its graphic props in the official merch and replica ecosystem. (Universal seems to excell at this type of merchandise.) Insight Editions’ Grimmerie journal is explicitly marketed as prop replica design, built to resemble the film’s Grimmerie and including “original artwork of spells.” Independently, artists and designers are already making film-inspired replicas of the Wizard’s Emerald City invitation, “Wizomania” tickets, potion bottles, Wicked Witch propaganda posters, maps of Oz, even ‘clickable’ replicas of Glinda’s “Tap To Bubble” button. Fans on Reddit are trying to track down film-accurate Emerald City postcards and creating their own Ozian reference compendiums, using Universal's official Grimmerie alphabet.
That’s iconography doing what iconography does: turning an object into a cultural shorthand. Connecting people to fantasy worlds through relics they can touch, and replicate, and build upon.
People don’t just remember a story; They treasure the artifact, and a world with tangible artifacts is that much easier to physically latch onto, remember, and believe.
(And collect obsessively.)
That’s iconography doing what iconography does: turning an object into a cultural shorthand. Connecting people to fantasy worlds through relics they can touch, and replicate, and build upon.
People don’t just remember a story; They treasure the artifact, and a world with tangible artifacts is that much easier to physically latch onto, remember, and believe.
(And collect obsessively.)
Don't Go Big, Go Home.
A rich graphic landscape is a staple of the most successful and memorable fictional worlds, and something too many world-builders forget. If you think in terms of going big or going home, remember the dragon from before. The dragon is big, and maybe even impressive, but how often do you actually encounter it? How often would you encounter all those graphic props and iconography-- like the dragon repellant or fireproof textiles-- in your daily life? In other words, the small ways you encounter the dragon where you actually live- in your home?
If you're like me, and you value accessibility even in something as seemingly elective as theme design and play, then we're both very lucky. Because to fabricate a convincing and memorable world, you don't start with the dragon-- the big impressive wow-factor thing-- you start with the concrete, everyday ways that dragon shows up in a character's life. And the more ways you can find to shrink that dragon down and bring it home, metaphorically speaking, the more clever and grounded your world will feel.
Once you've done that, you may not even need a flesh-and-blood (or foam-and-latex) dragon at all.
Or a real Wizard, for that matter.
Wanted posters can go up when a villain commits a crime, or a hero is framed for one. Olive oil bottles can become potions, liniments, and elixirs. Your backyard can become a fairy glen with a new label on a map. Menus can set a cultural scene. Important events and deeds can be reflected in a local newsletter. Creatures can be studied through bestiary pages. Quests can be discovered through flyers and broadsheets. Folklore can be learned through journal pages. Regular confectionaries can be made fantastical with simple re-packaging. Consequences can come in the form of summons; rewards in the form of certificates, permits, and currency. Secrets can be revealed through written codes and invisible inks.
If you’re crafting an encounter— whether it’s a party, a LARP, a full-fledged theme park or a written story—graphic props will do a huge amount of worldbuilding for the cost of ink and paper.
All you need is your printer.
- Trystan
Once you've done that, you may not even need a flesh-and-blood (or foam-and-latex) dragon at all.
Or a real Wizard, for that matter.
Wanted posters can go up when a villain commits a crime, or a hero is framed for one. Olive oil bottles can become potions, liniments, and elixirs. Your backyard can become a fairy glen with a new label on a map. Menus can set a cultural scene. Important events and deeds can be reflected in a local newsletter. Creatures can be studied through bestiary pages. Quests can be discovered through flyers and broadsheets. Folklore can be learned through journal pages. Regular confectionaries can be made fantastical with simple re-packaging. Consequences can come in the form of summons; rewards in the form of certificates, permits, and currency. Secrets can be revealed through written codes and invisible inks.
If you’re crafting an encounter— whether it’s a party, a LARP, a full-fledged theme park or a written story—graphic props will do a huge amount of worldbuilding for the cost of ink and paper.
All you need is your printer.
- Trystan
Incase you'd like to let artists do some of the work for you,
this post features:
Wizomania Ticket & Shiz Gazette Replicas by WechslerPrintingCo
Aged Bestiary Pages by StormSparrowsInn
Thror's Map with glowing moon runes by LiselleMade
Spell Scrolls by VespersVault
Fantasy Map Maker by Aesoterik
Sending Stone Newspaper Kit & Wanted Poster by me! (Theme Alchemy)
D&D Potion Label Sticker Set by AuroraAthenaeum
Apothecary Label Set by SerenPix
this post features:
Wizomania Ticket & Shiz Gazette Replicas by WechslerPrintingCo
Aged Bestiary Pages by StormSparrowsInn
Thror's Map with glowing moon runes by LiselleMade
Spell Scrolls by VespersVault
Fantasy Map Maker by Aesoterik
Sending Stone Newspaper Kit & Wanted Poster by me! (Theme Alchemy)
D&D Potion Label Sticker Set by AuroraAthenaeum
Apothecary Label Set by SerenPix
1 Comments
As someone who loves props and junk journals, this is extremely my shit.