Designing graphics for Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs

Erica Dorn spent two years crafting thousands of handmade graphic props for Wes Anderson’s stop motion epic Isle of Dogs. We talked to the designer about her work on the film

Isle of Dogs is an ode to Japanese cinema and visual culture. The stop-motion film takes place in a future Japan where dogs have been exiled to an offshore wasteland known as Trash Island following an outbreak of canine flu. A 12-year-old boy embarks on a quest to find his missing pooch, prompting an intrepid American exchange student to investigate his disappearance.

Erica Dorn spent two years working with a talented team of model makers, set dressers, production designers and animators to bring Anderson’s vision to life. Working with Annie Atkins (graphic designer on the Grand Budapest Hotel) and Chinami Narikawa, she created thousands of handmade props for the film – from milk bottles to ID cards, newspapers and posters in various sizes.