Inspiration for a champion’s artistic design comes from many places: gameplay mechanics, champion personalities or a walk in the wilds, just to name a few. Sometimes new champions are even inspired by other champion stories, and so was the case with Diana, Scorn of the Moon. While her artistic motif naturally pays homage to the moon, the art was further influenced by her relationship with Leona and its transforming effect on her personality.
The artists, animators, sound designers and creative designers envisioned Diana as a character long before they knew her as the champion we see today. A few of them came together to discuss Diana’s origins and evolution through art, story and sound.
Iain “Harrow” Hendry (Associate Creative Designer)
Kienan “Knockmaw” Lafferty (Associate 2D Artist)
Alex “CaptainLx” Lehmann (Senior Animator)
Mike “IronStylus” Maurino (Senior Concept Artist)
Oscar “shadowMacuahuitl” Monteon (Character Artist)
Adam “BelligerentSwan” Swanson (Associate Sound Designer)
Christina “NinjaChewyKun” Wun (VFX Artist)
Where did Diana begin?
IronStylus: We wanted to design a champion that was a foil for Leona, but we couldn’t really pin down what that character would look like. So, we tried a bunch of iterations and we couldn’t get away from creating a character that looked like Riven or a chick in armor. She was in development in that way for about a year. Then one day I was watching an anime and saw a character that seemed like the right archetype: an Eastern, svelte girl in super heavy armor that kicked a lot of ass. It’s a popular trope in the East and it’s something we don’t have in our game. She should be a very vicious character without showing much emotion. We had a very clear idea what she was from the beginning and that gave us the chance to focus more on fun and translation.
NinjaChewyKun: Everybody was so excited and passionate about her. There was a very clear direction about what kind of person she is. The concepts were so inspiring. For me the best champions to work on are the ones who have the most direction. Everyone had an idea of what her particles should look like. It was a fun collaboration.
CaptainLx: I think collaboration is a great way to describe her process. We worked a lot together and early on and had a lot of fun discussions. I threw away the most animations I’ve ever thrown away because we were just playing around with a lot of ideas. What if she’s jumping? What if she’s twirling? Finding the right balance – she’s snappy, but also natural. People cared and asked advice from each other, so this character went really well.
IronStylus: No one was afraid of getting feedback or challenging something. Everyone wanted feedback. No one was too heavily invested. It was a trusting collaboration.
Knockmaw: Diana was so . . . internally funded, everyone had so much passion and couldn’t wait to get their hands on her. There’s something to be said about an idea that surfaces within and everyone feels it.
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