Tom Bodkin (born 1953) is a retired American newspaper editor who worked for many years as design director and chief creative officer of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''.

Background

Bodkin, who was born in New York City and grew up in

Great Neck, New York Great Neck is a region contained within Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, New York (state), New York, on Long Island, which covers a peninsula on the North Shore (Long Island), North Shore and includes nine incorporated villages, among th ...

, graduated from John L. Miller Great Neck North High School in 1971, where he was editor-in-chief of the award-winning school newspaper. He attended

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

, but did not graduate, and moved to New York City after two years. After brief stints with various outlets, including ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...

'' and CBS with Lou Dorfsman, he joined ''The New York Times'' in 1980.

''The New York Times''

Bodkin oversaw design and layout for the newspaper, redesigning the Arts & Leisure section before being named design director in 1985. His staff included the Art Directors, Designers, Production and Layout desks, and he was an important factor designing the appearance of each day's front page, sketching out prospective layouts on paper. Bodkin helped develop the newspaper's website, brought color photography to the front page in 1997, was the presiding design director during 9-11, and had a large influence on the layout of the front page with the headline "U.S. Attacked". In 2003, he introduced a modified version of

Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...

as the standard typeface for the paper. He also led the team that created the ''Times Reader'', a digital version of the newspaper created in collaboration with

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company, technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975, the company became influential in the History of personal computers#The ear ...

. Later in his career, Bodkin helped design the front page on May 24, 2020, which contained nothing except a headline and brief introduction before six columns of uninterrupted text identifying 1,000 people in the United States who died from

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

during the pandemic. Inspired by the design of old newspapers, it was the only front page from his tenure at the ''Times'' which contained no images. Bodkin retired from the ''Times'' in 2024; the last front page he designed was the February 29 edition.

Personal life

, Bodkin lives in Stone Ridge, New York.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bodkin, Tom 1953 births 20th-century American male artists 21st-century American male artists John L. Miller Great Neck North High School alumni Living people The New York Times masthead editors People from Marbletown, New York