The Crack-Up

Book Cover Design
Serif Typeface Design

Book cover design inspired by F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book, The Crack-Up. The designs brings the 1945 collection of essays into a contemporary space.  First published in 1936, the book contains a series of essays that Fitzgerald originally wrote for Esquire (including the title essay), along with previously unpublished letters and notes.

In contrast to his more prominent novels, The Crack-Up depicts a very personal look at Fitzgerald’s sudden psychological decline, despair, and disillusionment with life itself. These themes act as the basis for the cover, which uses a unsettling photograph of Fitzgerald, ripped in half and scanned. 

︎︎︎ Existing designs

    

The essay is set in Fitz, a serif typeface I designed in response to Fitzgerald’s essay.