In an interview with Vogue, costume designer Trish Summerville said the corset with Lucy Gray's rainbow dress has katniss and primrose flowers. It's a nod to Katniss and Prim Everdeen from the original films.
The statue of Lady Justice seen in the Capitol holds two swords instead of a sword and scales. This is reflective of how the Capitol views justice as a victory over the Districts instead of as a balance or equilibrium. She also wears no blindfold, indicating that the idea of justice in the Capitol is not blind to status or wealth and is a corrupt system.
According to director Francis Lawrence, he was convinced to cast Viola Davis to play the villain after seeing a meme online. He said, "It was a piece of fan art, and somebody had photoshopped, I think, an image of her standing by a window. It may be a still from The Help (2011), but she had this sort of sinister little smile, and they had mocked up a fake horror poster as if she was the villain in this. I was like, 'Wow, you know what? She may be really good for this.' She has this gravitas but could be playful and quirky and get all of that. It'd be very different for her. I don't think we've seen her do this kind of thing a lot."
The Covey, Lucy Gray's people, have double barrel names: the first from a ballad, and the second from a color. Lucy Gray's name was taken from the ballad "Lucy Gray" by William Wordworth, which she sings in the film.