Which of those map design is the most elegant?

[Midgard]

Design one, with nation names listed on the map as opposed to the key.

 

[Tony Jones]

I like design 1, but maybe with the less intense colours of design 2...

 

[Saladin]

I like the colour tones of design 2, but with the legend of design 1, but using a simple sans serif font for easy reading.


They all look really good in their own ways; just remember the rules about fonts, for displays (and maps are displays) use a sans serif font, for text, especially large amounts of text, use a serifed font to help the eye follow the words