Romek Marber
Encyclopedia
Romek Marber was a Polish freelance designer noted for his work with Penguin Books
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Marber arrived in Britain in 1946; in 1961, impressed by Marber’s covers for The Economist
, Germano Facetti
commissioned Marber to design covers for Simeon Potter's Our Language and Language in the Modern World. Facetti then asked Marber to propose a new cover approach for the Penguin Crime series. Marber chose to retain green as the series colour, though he changed the shade, and he kept the horizontal banding of the previous Edward Young design. The image on Marber's covers occupies just over two-thirds of the space, while the title section at the top is divided into three bands carrying colophon
/series name/price, the title and the author's name, with the type ranged left. This arrangement, now known as the Marber grid was adopted for much of the rest of the Penguin line giving that publisher its distinctive visual unity throughout the 1960s and 70s.
A sixteen page article in the magazine Typographica by Herbert Spencer
in 1962 traced the history of Penguin cover design, but neglected to mention Marber's input, prompting Facetti to ask Spencer for a correction of this oversight in the next issue. Duly a two-page correction lauding Marber appeared in Typographica 6.
In 2010 memoirs of Romek's experiences during World War Two were published, entitled No Return: Journeys in the Holocaust.
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
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Marber arrived in Britain in 1946; in 1961, impressed by Marber’s covers for The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
, Germano Facetti
Germano Facetti
Germano Facetti was an Italian graphic designer who headed design at Penguin Books from 1962 to 1971.Born in Milan he was arrested in 1943 for putting up anti-Fascist posters...
commissioned Marber to design covers for Simeon Potter's Our Language and Language in the Modern World. Facetti then asked Marber to propose a new cover approach for the Penguin Crime series. Marber chose to retain green as the series colour, though he changed the shade, and he kept the horizontal banding of the previous Edward Young design. The image on Marber's covers occupies just over two-thirds of the space, while the title section at the top is divided into three bands carrying colophon
Colophon (publishing)
In publishing, a colophon is either:* A brief description of publication or production notes relevant to the edition, in modern books usually located at the reverse of the title page, but can also sometimes be located at the end of the book, or...
/series name/price, the title and the author's name, with the type ranged left. This arrangement, now known as the Marber grid was adopted for much of the rest of the Penguin line giving that publisher its distinctive visual unity throughout the 1960s and 70s.
A sixteen page article in the magazine Typographica by Herbert Spencer
Herbert Spencer (graphic designer)
Herbert Spencer was a British designer, editor, writer, photographer and teacher, born in London on June 22, 1924, and died March 11, 2002 ....
in 1962 traced the history of Penguin cover design, but neglected to mention Marber's input, prompting Facetti to ask Spencer for a correction of this oversight in the next issue. Duly a two-page correction lauding Marber appeared in Typographica 6.
- Eye magazine article on Marber
- Communicate: Independent British Graphic Design since the SixtiesCommunicate: Independent British Graphic Design since the SixtiesAn exhibition curated by Rick Poynor at the Barbican Art Gallery charting over 40 years of graphic design in the United Kingdom.The first major attempt to reflect on how the smaller independent studios and agencies marked and shaped the way we look at images in our everyday lives: from book and...
, Laurence King Publishing, 2004
In 2010 memoirs of Romek's experiences during World War Two were published, entitled No Return: Journeys in the Holocaust.