Overview

• Caroff died in hospice care at his Manhattan home on Aug. 17, one day before his 104th birthday, according to his sons Peter and Michael.
• He devised the pistol‑integrated 007 mark for Dr. No by turning the seven’s stem into a gun handle, a logo later used on every official Bond film and widespread merchandise.
• The assignment paid $300 with no residuals or screen credit, reflecting industry practices that left freelance designers without royalties.
• Beyond Bond, he created posters for West Side Story, A Hard Day’s Night, Cabaret, Last Tango in Paris and Manhattan, and designed title sequences for A Bridge Too Far, Death of a Salesman, Brighton Beach Memoirs and The Last Temptation of Christ.
• He worked on more than 300 film campaigns, founded J. Caroff Associates, retired in 2006 to focus on painting, was honored with a 007‑engraved Omega watch at 100, and is survived by two sons, two daughters‑in‑law and a granddaughter after the February death of his wife, Phyllis.