The start of the design process involved creating a mindmap.
The mind map contains all the ideas I could come up with for the chosen theme.
We decided the game would follow noir as an artistic theme. To have a better idea of how this looks, various images were gathered from the internet.
The only lighting in this image comes through the open doorway. Being monotone, the silhouettes of the character in the doorway stands out due to being hit from the back by the light, but not the front.
This image from Sin City (2005) shows a character being highlighted by lighting. The scene is monotone aside from the red blood standing out on the face of the character.
After researching the theme, I looked at games in the genre we would be making the game in. I first looked at Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India (2016).
An example of the player avoiding the enemies cone of view. If the player stays within this cone for too long, they will be detected and combat will begin. 
An example of the player using stealth to hide from enemies.
I then looked at Inside (2016), a game of similar genre and artistic style to what we hope to make.
The vision cone of the enemies is represented by light cast by them. 
Lighting is used in this scene to highlight the area the play must go to.
To have a better understanding of how to use lighting, I researched Chiaroscuro. It is the use of light to emphasize specific elements of a subject by using dim and harsh lighting.
The painting shows one character highlighted and another neglected. 
The photograph shows with lighting hitting one side of them, putting emphasis on the features highlighted.
To find inspiration for the design of the level, I looked at images from 1940s London.
I drew out a technical concept for the level.
Notes I took while playing the game Inside (2016).
Noir image references
Bork, L H (2017) neon drinks [Photograph] Available online: https://www.flickr.com/photos/32821471@N04/34040443905/in/photostream/ [Accessed 26/02/2022]
Goldberg, M (2020) Gorgeous design [Image] Available online: https://collider.com/batman-the-animated-series-best-adaptation/ [Accessed 26/02/2022]
Phantom Stranger. Premier poster [Image] Available online: https://batmantheanimatedseries.fandom.com/wiki/Batman:_The_Animated_Series#Bruce_Wayne [Accessed 26/02/2022]
IMDB (2005) Sin City Photo Gallery [Photograph] Available online: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0401792/mediaindex?page=10&ref_=ttmi_mi_sm [Accessed 26/02/2022]
Simon (2018) Discovering the Body [Digital art] Available online: https://simonfairbairn.com/discovering-the-body/ [Accessed 26/02/2022]
Silberius (2014) Film Noir city [Matte painting] Available online: https://www.deviantart.com/silberius/art/Film-Noir-city-427315177 [Accessed 26/02/2022]
Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India References
Climax Studios (2016) Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India [Video game] Available online: https://store.steampowered.com/app/359610/Assassins_Creed_Chronicles_India/ [Accessed 02/03/2022]
GameWatcher (2016) Assassin’s Creed Chronicles India Review (PC) [Video] Available online: Assassin’s Creed Chronicles India Review (PC) [Accessed 02/03/2022]
Harding, C (2016) Review: Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India (PS4, Xbox One, PC, PS Vita) [Website] Available online: https://thegamescabin.com/review-assassins-creed-chronicles-india/ [Accessed 02/03/2022]
Inside references
AdventureGamers (2016) Inside [Image] Available online: https://adventuregamers.com/games/view/36555 [Accessed 03/03/2022]
PlayDead (2016) Inside [Video game] Available online: https://store.steampowered.com/app/304430/INSIDE/ [Accessed 03/03/2022]
This war of mine references
11 Bit studios (2014) This War of Mine [Video game] Available online: https://store.steampowered.com/app/282070/This_War_of_Mine/ [Accessed 03/03/2022]
O’Connor, A (2019) This War Of Mine gets Final Cut, five years on [Image] Available online: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/this-war-of-mine-gets-final-cut-five-years-on [Accessed 03/03/2022]
WRAITHKAL (2018) New Tales: Second ‘This War of Mine: Stories’ DLC ‘The Last Broadcast’ Is Almost Ready [Image] Available online: https://www.wraithkal.com/this-war-of-mine-dlc-the-last-broadcast-release-date/ [Accessed 03/03/2022]
Chiaroscuro references
Baglione, G (1602-1603) Sacred and Profane Love. [Painting] Available online: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiaroscuro [Accessed 04/03/2022]
Gomez, R. Example of Chiaroscuro [Photograph] Available online: https://sunbouncepro.com/photography-tips/chiaroscuro-in-photography/ [Accessed 04/03/2022]
Wikipedia (2022) Chiaroscuro [Web page] Available online: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiaroscuro [Accessed 04/03/2022]
Level Design Inspiration references
Cox. S(2016) London In The 1940s [Article] Available online: https://allthatsinteresting.com/london-in-the-1940s [Accessed: 02/04/2022]
director_solon (2020) Abandoned TNT Warehouse [Image] Available online: https://www.reddit.com/r/AbandonedPorn/comments/eg3gyv/abandoned_tnt_warehouse/ [Accessed: 02/04/2022]
Hippie Refugee(2012) London 1940s During WWII [Blog] Available online: https://hippierefugee.blogspot.com/2012/01/london-1940s-during-wwii.html [Accessed: 02/04/2022]