2020 Online Salon
Antibiotic Resistance Deadly Pathogens

Project Details
- Entrant Name: Alissa Eckert
- Membership Type: Professional Submission
- Other Contributors: James Archer, Jennifer Oosthuizen, Stephanie Rossow
- Address: Acworth, Georgia USA
- Client: CDC
- Copyright: 2019 N/A
- Medium/software used: 3ds Max, After Effects, Magic Bullet
- Final presentation format: Broadcast, web and print
- Primary Audience: general public
Project Description
The CDC’s 2019 Antibiotic Resistance visual suite comprises 21 illustrations of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and fungi for high-profile communications, including a digital press kit released to news and media outlets. Each pathogen is rendered in sizes and formats for print, broadcast, and digital media. Shareable social media, over-the-shoulder broadcast news graphics, online news feature graphics and image carousels, and print-ready graphics prominently featured the illustrations.
The suite’s aesthetic is guided by ‘beautiful, but deadly’ realism and believability. To achieve this, multiple physical camera techniques in 3D Studio Max were used, including depth-of-field and exposure control. The pathogens’ dual color palettes reflect gram-staining protocol used in identification. The intense chroma of each organism on a dark background creates an arresting, high contrast image with a gravity the viewer may associate with antibiotic-resistant infections and their negative outcomes.