Great Gatsby Rebrand
Designed by Maria Pellegrino using Adobe Photoshop
2024
Objective:
Redesigning an existing movie campaign poster, along with a mobile and web version.
Target Audience:
A broad and dynamic audience that includes both long-time fans of the novel and newcomers interested in its aesthetic and cultural significance.
Process:
I chose The Great Gatsby for this design due to my fascination with the film and the layered metaphors presented throughout the plot. I wanted to ensure that the story’s intricate symbolism and powerful metaphors were accurately and thoughtfully incorporated into my design, reflecting the essence of the narrative in a visually compelling way.
To begin, I chose an image taken from the film, depicting Gatsby looking out the window of his mansion during one of his parties. Within the film, this scene represents themes such as loneliness, disillusionment and his unattainable dream. To enhance this still image and make it more representative of this metaphor, I layered an image of (1) a large party and (2) fireworks within the reflection of the window.
As the events of the movie take place in New York City, I incorporated a silhouette of the skyline overlapping the bottom edge of the window, additionally layering faint city lights on top of this.
Finally, I added a layer of water beneath the design, applying a green tint through an adjustment layer to subtly reference the green light—a central symbol in the film. The intentional use of the color green throughout the poster underscores this powerful motif, evoking key themes such as Gatsby’s unwavering dream and desire for Daisy, the tension between illusion and reality, and the profound longing at the heart of the story.
In terms of typography, I used a large font for the title of the movie “The Great Gatsby” as I wanted it to be the first ting viewers read. I decided to go with a font similar to what the current movie poster uses as I agreed with this design choice. I then added a line referencing the directors, along with the actors names along the bottom of the image, giving it the look and feel of a movie poster.
Design Process
Elements
01 Poster Mockup
Description found above.
Elements
02 Mobile Design
For this design, I decided to maintain the major aspects of the design in terms of the lower half of the image, yet adding a twist to what appears above the city skyline.
I used images of the main characters, Gatsby and Daisy, and arranged them back to back, Gatsby in front. This alludes to a main aspect of the movie surrounding their tumultuous relationship.
In the background, I again incorporate the green light - this time appearing in the fog behind them. This creates an eerie tone, similar to that of the film.
Elements
03 Web Design
Here, I decided to maintain the major aspects of the design, yet as the first design was structured for a vertical layout, I removed the image of Leonardo DiCaprio - shifting the focus to the “Eyes of God”, as shown in the film. This image represents the theme of moral judgment and the idea of an all-seeing presence.
Another change was made to the background, increasing the opacity of the party scene and removing the image of the fireworks.
“Buy Tickets Now” is at the center of the image below the movie title to draw consumer’s attention to the button, as this is the main goal of the design.
