In Loving Memory of
Caroline Warner Hightower

Caroline Warner Hightower, a pioneering force in American graphic design and the longtime executive director of the AIGA who helped transform the organization into a national institution, died at Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital in Manhattan. She was 91. The cause was complications from Parkinson’s disease.

Ms. Hightower served as executive director of AIGA from 1977 to 1995, overseeing a period of extraordinary growth. Membership expanded from roughly 1,200 to more than 11,000, and the organization evolved into a nationwide network with chapters across the United States. She helped establish national conferences, publications, and educational initiatives that elevated the role of design in business and culture.

Her leadership helped define a critical era in which graphic design emerged as a recognized and respected discipline. She was awarded the AIGA Medal in 2004, alongside leading figures in the field, including her friend and collaborator, Massimo Vignelli.

Earlier in her career, Ms. Hightower held roles in publishing and philanthropy, including positions at McGraw-Hill and The Saturday Review, and as a program officer at the Carnegie Corporation. There, she contributed to early philanthropic efforts supporting educational television, including what would become Sesame Street.

Her influence extended into the language of design itself. The typeface Hightower Text, created by Tobias Frere-Jones, bears her name. She also authored Penny Pincher’s Guide to Fine Cooking, reflecting her lifelong resourcefulness and creativity.

Born on February 22, 1935, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Ms. Hightower combined professional accomplishment with deep devotion to her family. She was a nurturing and steadfast presence, known for her ability to make things work even under constraint.

Musically gifted, she could play piano and guitar by ear, and in retirement she pursued painting with curiosity and discipline. Her outlook on life was captured in a piece of advice she often shared:

“Put your head down like a billy goat, and keep climbing.”

She is survived by her daughter, Amanda Hightower Redling; Amanda’s husband, Carl Edward Redling; her son, Matthew Lloyd Hightower, and his fiancée, Dani Elizabeth Fox; and her grandchildren, Brantley Edward Redling, Charlotte Amanda Redling, Grace Caroline Hightower, and Felicity Claire Hightower.

To her family, she was a constant source of love, strength, and determination. The example she set — to persevere, to create, and to care deeply for others — will continue to guide those who knew and loved her.