Contagion - Redesign
A small change can have a big impact on creative outcomes. This project took a different approach to Scott Z. Burns' Contagion (2011) and reinvented the movie’s poster and relative props by changing the historical setting of the film, then depicting how this difference would affect the design of items used in cinema.
The timeline of the movie is moved a century into the past from 2011 to the early 1910s, eliminating modern technology and introducing an unrefined medicinal industry. Research focused on the typography from this period in time, with prop design heavily inspired by the strong typographical elements of historical packaging versus modern graphic design.
There was further potential to explore this conceptual change and improve factual accuracy by referring to the Spanish Flu in 1918, although some design choices may reflect the more theatrical elements that bring excitement to the movie-going experience.
The creative process for this project was completed during a time when the Coronavirus (COVID 19) was beginning to close public spaces and restrict the lifestyle of many Americans. While the movie creates a dialogue about a pandemic caused from a super virus originating from a Chinese origin, this project served as an exploration of a major transitional period in my life which allowed me to express my coping methods in a creative form. These universal, real-life experiences were used to dive deep into the authenticity of the movie past historical accuracy, touching on the fear, hope and overall psychology of people consumed by a shared experience.