Drag Queens Must Die - Short Film
Brand Identity, Poster Design & Press Materials
Sweet Nothing Productions sought me to design the visual identity and promotional materials for Drag Queens Must Die, a dark comedy short film.
The film follows three aspiring drag queens who leave the Bay Area on a cross-country “Wigs on Rigs” tour, only to encounter an increasingly unsettling situation. The visual identity needed to reflect the film’s tone—balancing humor, edge, and underlying tension—while remaining impactful across festival platforms.
Challenge
At the start of the project, there was little to no promotional material available, requiring the creation of a cohesive visual system from limited assets.
The challenge was to establish a strong and recognizable identity that could work across film festivals, while visually capturing the film’s dark humor and dramatic undertones.
Role
I led the visual tone and design of the logo, movie posters, and press release materials from start to finish.
Process
The visual direction was driven by the film’s tone and themes, combining theatricality with a raw, expressive aesthetic.
Designed a custom, hand-drawn logo styled to appear as if written with lipstick on a dressing room mirror, reinforcing themes of performance and identity but lightening up the serious movie title
Requested and sourced high-resolution stills from the production, then upscaled and refined them to be suitable for print and promotional use
Performed color correction and image treatment to enhance mood, contrast, and visual cohesion
Designed two distinct poster artworks tailored for different film festival contexts
Developed press materials to support the film’s promotion and distribution
Solution
The final identity combines expressive and fun typography with cinematic imagery, creating a visual language that reflects both the humor and tension of the film.
The posters and supporting materials were designed to be bold and memorable, ensuring strong visibility across festival environments despite initial asset limitations.
Outcome
The film’s visual identity contributed to a strong festival presence, supporting its promotion and recognition. Drag Queens Must Die received the Gold Award for Best LGBTQ Short at the 2021 Independent Shorts Awards, reinforcing the impact of the overall presentation.
Tools
Procreate · Adobe Photoshop · Adobe Illustrator · Adobe InDesign
