Quarantine 2020 poster

DAILY LETTERING
PROJECT + POSTER
2020

The Quarantine 2020 poster commemorates a daily lettering project running for 65 days in lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. Every day as I was self-isolating I would write the word “Quarantine” along with the current date in a unique way, to mark the passing of time, sustain a creative habit and challenge my creativity. I would share the lettering pieces every day on my Instagram page which over the course of the quarantine filled up with the word repeating itself in new ways over and over. All the pieces are hand-drawn on paper and then scanned and compiled in photoshop.

When the quarantine ended and I was able to go back to work with my colleagues I compiled all the lettering pieces onto a poster to tie together the project and commemorative a weird and challenging time. The poster is printed with white ink on black paper and showcases the chronological evolution of the lettering challenge along with a short essay about my experience with the project and creativity during the lockdown.

As I was living in Uruguay at the time, I was fortunate enough to only have to be in a voluntary quarantine for about two months, as the country due to good safety measures was able to take steps to reopen. As I am writing this in September of 2020 from the comfort of my home in Copenhagen I am aware that many countries are still battling the Coronavirus and the death and sickness it brings. This project reflects my time in quarantine from a privileged place, and is not meant to belittle the gravity of the ongoing situation that is still affecting people across the world.

See photos of the process and final project in the gallery below:

marcus melo, 2020