Joe Caroff dead: Creator of James Bond logo dies aged 103 as sons pay tribute

James Bond star Joe Caroff has died aged 103, his sons have confirmed. The graphic designer was known for creating the iconic 007 gun logo and worked on the film posters for West Side Story and The Beatles' hit movie, A Hard Day's Night.

Joe's sons, Michael and Peter, told TheNew York Times that the star died in hospice care in his Manhattan home on Sunday, a day before his 104th birthday.

Back in 1962, Joe was tasked with creating a letterhead for a publicity release for Dr. No - the first Bond film. Joe also worked on Last Tango in Paris, Manhattan, Cabaret and many more iconic projects.

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His name went unknown for many years despite being extremely recognisable. “That he was unknown is shocking,” co-chairman emeritus of the Master of Fine Arts Design program at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan, Mr. Heller, said in a recent interview.

When Joe was tasked with creating the letterhead for Dr. No (1962), he didn't find the 007 agent's Walther PPK pistol to be visually appealing. He sketched the numbers 007 and added pencilled lines above and below as a guide but soon noticed that the upper guideline looked like an elongated barrel of a gun extending from the number seven.

It wasn't long before he perfected the most recognised symbol in cinema. “I knew that 007 meant license to kill; that, I think, at an unconscious level, was the reason I knew the gun had to be in the logo,” he said in By Design: The Joe Caroff Story in 2022.

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