Here are a selection of F. Scott Fitzgerald book covers I designed for a recent self initiated project.
I wanted them to all link but have their own style. I did this by keeping the back covers similar but changing the selected colours for each novel. For the front covers I wanted them to reflect themes and quotes about the novels.
For example, with the "This Side of Paradise" cover the novel explores themes of "love warped by greed and status seeking." I took this and created the collage, making emphasis on the increase of new money and better lifestyles, a lot of what is portrayed in Fitzgerald's writing.
For “The Beautiful and Damned” cover I wanted it to relate to “This Side of Paradise” because they are both about greed and young socialites. Also I felt it was his first two novels which were about youth and love, where as the later two had a more serious undertone.
With “The Great Gatsby” cover I took the last quote in the book, “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” I wanted to use this because it’s very famous and a metaphor for how life is pointless. I wanted to replicate the waves but also painted them in a circular action as to make it look like it was sucking the viewer in to this never ending cycle. I think its the weakest of the four because it doesn’t link as well in style however I didn’t want them to look too similar.
Lastly, with the “Tender is the Night” cover I wanted to reflect Fitzgerald himself, because this was his last novel and also a reflection on his own life and relationship with his very ill wife. I wanted to create something dark and melancholy that mimicked his life.
