Joe Caroff, the graphic designer who made iconic pieces including the 007 pistol emblem for James Bond, posters for A Hard Day’s Night and West Side Story, and typography for Last Tango in Paris, Manhattan, and Rollerball, passed away. He was 103 years old. Caroff’s sons, Peter and Michael Caroff, said that their father passed away under hospice care at his Manhattan home. Additionally, Caroff produced the opening title sequences for movies such as Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), which unveiled a crown of thorns; Gene Saks’ Brighton Beach Memoirs (1986); Volker Schlondorff’s Death of a Salesman (1985); and Richard Attenborough’s A Bridge Too Far (1977).
Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma’s Hung You in the Closet and I’m Feelin’ So Sad (1963), A Fistful of Dollars (1964), For a Few Dollars More (1965), Too Late the Hero (1970), Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon (1970), Cabaret (1972), An Unmarried Woman (1978), and Gandhi (1982) were among the Woody Allen films in his poster portfolio. He worked on more than 300 campaigns during his career, starting with his first film assignment. David Chasman, an executive at United Artists, hired him to design the poster for West Side Story in 1961. Chasman then asked him to create the letterhead for a publicity release related to the first Bond movie, Dr. No (Chasman had already created the poster for the 1962 film).
It was incredibly impromptu, required little work, and was an instant work of art. Caroff added a barrel and trigger to the 007 after being inspired by Ian Fleming’s favorite firearm, a Walther PPK. He claimed to have been paid USD 300, which is the standard cost for this kind of work. Despite the fact that the logo—albeit subtly changed—has been on every Bond movie and millions of items of products, he was not given any credit, residuals, or royalties.
