Tom Wilkes
Biography
Tom Wilkes (July 30, 1939, Long Beach, CA – June 28, 2009, Pioneertown, CA) was an American graphic designer and art director, one of the defining visual hands of late-1960s and 1970s rock-album packaging. Trained at Long Beach City College, UCLA, and the Art Center College of Design, he was hired as art director of the 1967 Monterey International Pop Festival, producing its poster and 80-page program book. He was art director at A&M Records (c. 1967–69), then partnered with photographer Barry Feinstein in the studio Camouflage Productions, and later worked at ABC Records. He was diagnosed with ALS in 1999.
Why They Matter
Wilkes belongs to the small circle of art directors who turned the rock LP jacket into a serious design object. His Monterey graphics helped fix the visual identity of the festival that launched the era, and he won a Grammy for Best Recording Package for the orchestral Tommy. His career also illustrates the collaborative nature of cover credits — marquee sleeves were often split between his design and a photographer's image.
Notable Works
- 1967 Monterey International Pop Festival poster and program (art director)
- the Rolling Stones, Beggars Banquet
- George Harrison, All Things Must Pass (package design)
- the orchestral Tommy (Grammy-winning package, with Craig Braun)
- Neil Young, Harvest
- Janis Joplin, Pearl