Louis Silverstein (October 10, 1919 – December 1, 2011) was an American artist and
graphic designer who is best known for his work at The New York Times. He was inducted into the Art Directors Hall of Fame in 1984.
In 1952, Silverstein joined the promotions department at The New York Times. He helped make the newspaper more readable in 1967, when he enlarged the
typeface. In 1976, he changed the format of the front page from eight
columns to six. Also that year, he helped introduce the new weekday sections of the newspaper ("SportsMonday", "Science Times", "Living", "Home", and "Weekend").
Silverstein was inducted into the Art Directors Hall of Fame in 1984. At the time,
Massimo Vignelli said, "We are affected by all the factors in the environment around us, and nothing is more ubiquitous than the newspaper. By changing the Times and influencing so many newspapers in other cities, we are indebted to him for improving the quality of our lives."
After his 1985 retirement, Silverstein continued to consult to The New York Times and other newspapers. He was responsible for the new look of 35 regional newspapers as well as papers in
Brazil,
Kenya, and Spain.
Bibliography
——— (1990). Newspaper Design for the Times. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
ISBN978-0-442-28321-6.