Richard Marcej

A painting based on one of Marcej's layouts: Powermaster Optimus Prime.

Richard Marcej (1961-) is a graphic designer formerly at Hasbro responsible for the packaging design for a healthy chunk of the original The Transformers franchise, including many of the Predacons, Headmasters, Targetmasters, Powermasters, Seacons and Pretenders (Marcej handled the overall layouts while the finished, painted artwork was often done by artists in Japan, such as Hidetsugu Yoshioka). He is also entirely responsible for the exclusive "comic book style" battle scene package art found on 1989 toys, such as the Classic Pretenders and the Micromaster Anti-Aircraft Base, as well as the comic-style art for Hasbro's Battle Beasts line, which Takara would use for their Beastformers tie-in series.

Marcej graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, and began working for Hasbro in the fall of 1983. While working at Hasbro, he also did work for G.I. Joe, My Little Pony, Inhumanoids and Army Ants, the last of which featured products primarily of his own design. He was also credited as a "Technical Advisor" on The Transformers: The Movie, the exact details of which are unknown.

He is currently employed as an art director at tech mega-conglomerate Siemens where his work goes into hospitals, schools, warehouses, etc etc. The next time you go shopping for a dishwasher, know that there's a little G1 in there somewhere.

Known packaging art

The Transformers

1986

1987

1988

• 1988 back-of-box mural

1989

• 1989 back-of-box murals

Gallery

External links

• Richard Marcej at LinkedIn

Interviews

• March 10, 2006 Interview with Marcej at Seibertron.com