The idea behind the packaging redesign of cult movie Kwaidan (1965) for The Criterion Collection was to create a beautiful artistic visual inspired by the original title sequence of the film, with a deep & spooky feel. At the same time, we wanted to produce an iconic image that was also rooting into the symbolic & aesthetic of the stories, as well as in Japanese culture through colours & a traditional calligraphy twist.
Conceptually, we immediately got very inspired by the original title sequence, featuring black ink dropped in water - a physical interaction that I also always found mesmerizing and loved playing with; fluids dynamics being a big love of mine through the work. We ended up with a huge image library, from which we selected a series we felt had the richest volutes and details to transcend the ghosty feel we were after.
Client: Criterion Collection
Art Direction: Eric Skillman
Design & Typography: Sean Freeman
Creative Production & Design: Eve Steben
Photography: David Lidbetter
