Joseph Caroff, or just Joe to most people, passed away on Sunday at the age of 103. The timing stings even more knowing his 104th birthday would’ve been today; he was set to mark it in hospice at home in Manhattan.
He’s the mind behind that iconic 007 logo, the James Bond one with the gun. But that’s just scratching the surface. He also came up with posters for classics like West Side Story and A Hard Day’s Night, and he handled the typography for films like Last Tango in Paris, Manhattan, and Rollerball.
His sons, Peter and Michael, told The New York Times about his passing. The timing is almost cinematic, honestly.
Hearing the sad news that graphic designer Joe Caroff has passed away.
He designed many film posters and logos, including the iconic 007 gun logo and the first Bond poster for Dr No.
RIP. pic.twitter.com/bqCDnh5iSr
— Rob Watts Creative (@Rob_Watts_82) August 17, 2025
Joe’s story started back on August 18, 1921, in Linden, New Jersey. He had a big family—four older sisters and a younger brother. His dad, Julius, was a painter, but not your run-of-the-mill house painter. The man could make a plaster wall look like wood, really bringing it to life.
Joe graduated in 1942, majoring in advertising design. Not only did he hold down the class president gig for three years straight, but he also served as art editor for the school yearbook, Prattonia. He once said in a TCM documentary that designing book covers let him dig into a story and try to capture its essence in a single image. That was the fun of it for him.
Joseph ‘Joe’ Caroff, de ontwerper van het mooiste logo ter wereld, is gisteren op 103-jarige leeftijd overleden. Vandaag zou hij 104 zijn geworden. Lees verder: https://t.co/iJNB4nwIzI pic.twitter.com/Pw9EzGwBKs
— Bond Blog (@bondblog) August 18, 2025
Joe created the logo and title for Orion Pictures, designed album covers for Decca Records, and even put together logos for ABC’s Olympic coverage (the one with the circular letters and Olympic rings), ABC News, and 20/20 (which cleverly looks like eyeglasses).
