Fred Marcellino; Top Book Jacket Designer, Illustrator

Fred Marcellino, 61, illustrator and designer of covers for best-selling books by such authors as Tom Wolfe and Judith Rossner, died Thursday in New York City of colon cancer.

The Brooklyn-born artist began his career designing covers for record albums but switched to book jackets in 1975.

At the time, convention demanded nonartistic covers presenting the author’s name in gigantic type. But Marcellino introduced a poster style, illustrating the theme of the book in an aesthetic piece of art. Soon emulated, he turned out some 40 book jackets a year for more than a decade.

In another career switch, Marcellino started writing children’s books, which he also illustrated.

He earned a 1990 Caldecott Honor for his pictures for “Puss in Boots,” and his first original book, “I, Crocodile,” was designated one of the 1999 New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books.