He changed the way book covers and jackets for contemporary fiction are designed.
From Obituary here
"In the 1970's Mr. Marcellino, a classically trained painter and recipient of a 1963 Fulbright scholarship, challenged the strict marketing conventions for packaging fiction and nonfiction blockbusters, which then required gigantic type for the author's name and a small, literal illustration of the plot or theme. Although these covers grabbed attention, they usually offered little aesthetic value.
Mr. Marcellino introduced subtly painted and smartly lettered miniposters, creating an alluring graphic personality for best-selling novels by writers like Tom Wolfe, Anne Tyler, Milan Kundera, Judith Rossner and Margaret Atwood. He proved that an elegant jacket could be as effective a marketing tool as a garish one.
Mr. Marcellino could "in one image, translate the whole feeling and style of a book,'' said Nan Talese, who was the editor of Judith Rossner's ''August'' and Margaret Atwood's ''Handmaid's Tale'' for Houghton Mifflin."
A few examples of his book cover illustrations:
Some of his children's book covers and illustrations:
Five, maybe six depending on Moon's position (which isn't known precisely without a time of birth)
are in Mars-ruled signs: Scorpio and Aries. This indicates an energetic, enthusiastic and passionate nature, a blend of impatience, impetuosity and an urge to dig deep into issues. The only personal planet outside of the Mars-ruled group is Mars itself in Aquarius.
Outer planets were in Taurus, Leo and Virgo.
Uranus (planet of the avant garde) in Taurus lay opposite Venus and Mercury in Scorpio. Venus being planet of arts, Taurus its ruler. Hmmm. I think that here was a need to bring something new (Uranus) to "tried and true" style (Taurus), via design (Venus). Exactly what this artist did for book covers.
Fred Marcellino's official website.
