In Memoriam
02.29.12
Amid Capeci, 1961-2012
We received the very sad news today that one of our own, art director Amid Capeci passed away. He was an award-winning art director for Rolling Stone, Newsweek, and Entertainment Weekly, and SPD Board member who worked with so many SPD members. He will be missed.
Jeff Giles shared this letter from Amid's wife, Amy via the Newsweek alumni Facebook page this morning:
See some of Amid's covers after the jump...
Dear friends,Amid passed away tonight. He was comfortable and surrounded by family.He has been very weak these past few days in the hospital. But he let us know with a few words or a nod or a name that he was listening and could feel the love of all the people who were important to him. We spent much of today reading aloud the dozens of extraordinary emails we were receiving. We had been working on a slideshow of photographs and decided to watch it this evening. With the computer at the foot of the bed and us gathered around Amid, we watched the pictures, laughing and crying as we described them to him. We believe he was still listening and sharing the experience with us in his final minutes. In its own way, it was as joyous and beautiful as the life he lived.We are so grateful for all of your thoughts, prayers, and messages of love and support in recent days. They are such a comfort to us.Plans for a service are being made and will be shared.I'm sure this email is missing many people. Feel free to pass it on.With love,Amy and family
Newsweek, 2008. illustration by Lorenzo Petrantoni
Newsweek, illustration by Peter Max
Newsweek, October 20, 2006
Newsweek, illustration: Gluekit
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Update: The Daily Beast: Amid Capeci, Decorated Magazine Designer, Dies at 50
Beloved magazine designer Amid Capeci, who died of melanoma Tuesday, was only a boyish 50. Jeff Giles at Entertainment Weekly remembers his colleague.
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Rolling Stone, May 4, 2006
Rolling Stone, December 29, 2005
Rolling Stone, August 19, 2004
Rolling Stone, May 18, 2006
Entertainment Weekly, June 3, 2011
Entertainment Weekly, July 30, 2010
Entertainment Weekly, December 10, 2010
Entertainment Weekly, November 4, 2011
Thanks to Joe Hutchinson, Bruce Ramsay, and the folks at Entertainment Weekly for collecting these covers.
Update: A standing-room-only crowd filled Holy Cross Church in New York City Saturday for the funeral of Amid Capeci, Art Director of Entertainment Weekly. Three eulogies were presented, from his sister, his best friend, and Jon Meacham, his former editor at Newsweek and the current executive editor of Random House. The text of Meacham's eulogy follows:
He loved breaking news, great photography, bold typography, pop culture, fad diets, presidential politics, cashews, Oreos, the New Frontier, classic comic books, Barney's, Balthazar, his many colleagues--and, though he denied it later, Cosmopolitans.Most of all, of course, Amid adored Amy and their two beautiful children, Virginia and Luca. His love for them--his joy in them and in their lives together--was infectious and transporting.Amid and I came to Newsweek about the same time, in the middle of the Clinton years. From Diana to Bush v. Gore to September 11, from Afghanistan to Iraq to Obama, Amid was an unflagging anddevoted journalist and artist, capturing history as it happened with verve and style. At Newsweek, Esquire, Rolling Stone, and Entertainment Weekly, he chronicled the life and times of his life and times. He did it all with grace and wit and an honesty and clarity of character that won him that rarest of professional combinations: respect and affection.Through those same years there were marriages and babies; first birthdays and accumulating wedding anniversaries. You could have no better friend than Amid in times of crisis or of celebration. If you were down, Amid lifted you up. If you were happy, Amid was the first to raise a glass. He knew who he was. He was comfortable in his own skin. He neither posed nor preened.And he was proud--in the best sense of the term--of the world in which he worked. For Amid, magazine-making was nothing short of magical. He was bewitched by the romance of publishing, by the glamour, however faded, of it all--the late nights, the last-minute changes, the crashed covers. Many designers hate chaos. Amid loved chaos. There were deadlines and mad scrambles, near-misses and hard-fought triumphs.Amid had a storyteller's sensibility, a knack for seeing the world in the way a painter or a novelist does. For him life was a grand, character-driven epic in which all of our virtues and vices and hopes and fears and egos and insecurities were on vivid display. Yet in a world given to intrigue and to gossip, Amid was a gentleman with a bottomless capacity for friendship.He had his own vernacular, of course. Layouts that were not quite viewable were "in the soup."If he said pages were coming "after lunch," you knew you'd see them about dinnertime.At Entertainment Weekly, a decision best deferred? That, in Amid-speak, was "a Monday problem." At Newsweek, it was "a Friday night problem." At Rolling Stone, it was a "week-2 problem."Amid had the best jobs in a business he loved, but let's be honest: his natural habitat, the place where he would truly have been happiest, was Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce--the agency in "Mad Men." In a profound way, he was Don Draper without the adultery or the cigarettes.One of Amid's favorite places in the world to be was his downstairs study at home--a cheerful, eclectic room that offers us a window on his mind and his heart. There are original posters from "Star Wars," "Jaws," and "The Sweet Smell of Success." Bound editions of Fortune from the 1930s. A vintage matchbook from "21." Photographs of backstage moments at a 1960 Kennedy-Nixon debate and the final episode of "Seinfeld." Original strips of "Blondie," featuring, naturally, Dagwood Bumstead. Ashtrays from the Stork Club, the Copa, and the 1939 World's Fair. A set of DVDs from the 1980s--"Footloose," "Pretty in Pink," "Some Kind of Wonderful," and "Top Gun" sits easily alongside "Casablanca," "The Little Rascals" and "The Best of Jack Benny."Most important, there is a carefully crafted Pinewood Derby racecar Luca made in carpentry, mounted with paternal pride on a small stand. And there is a wonderful handmade penguin pencil cup Virginia gave to Amid for the shelf behind his desk.There, among the things he loved, you can almost hear that laugh even still--God, how Amid laughed so easily and so thoroughly. There was something redemptive about that laugh, and about his talent for love. His smile lit up our lives. His grace made rough passages smooth. In life he gave us great gifts, and in death he has left us with a great obligation: to strive to be as a good a man, as good a spouse, as good a parent, and as good a friend as he was.Amid designed many things; he was an artist, a passionate one and a great one. And his truest masterpiece was the love he shared and the life he led.May light perpetual shine upon him.
I'm devastated by this news. Amid was a genius, always upbeat and always outgoing. I had the pleasure of working with Amid at Newsweek, Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly and can't express how sad this makes me. The design community has lost a giant, and a friend.
This is a real loss for our community, Amid was a great guy and designer. I feel really lucky that I was able to work and learn from him. Like any of us, we didn't always see eye-to-eye, but he had a unique quality in that he listened to other opinions and considered them. I think that is one of the best things about him. He will be missed and I sure will miss him. My sincere condolences to Amy and the rest of the family.
Amid had the power to light up a room with one simple smile, and he did that often. I had the pleasure of serving on the SPD board with him and through that time I thoroughly enjoyed his company. He was a hard worker and a great human being. I’ll miss him tremendously and my thoughts go out to his wonderful family.
So sad. I had the pleasure of working with Amid years ago at Newsweek and more recently, although for too short a time, here at EW. The design community has lost a great man. Deepest sympathy to his wife, Amy and their family.
Amid was one of those people, so obviously, that just made you happier to be in the room, whenever he walked in. As has been said by so many of us in the last few days, it could be hard, in this very special community, to find someone who loved their work more than Amid did, and that was just contagious. He was a magazine, pop-culture, news, music, design omnivore in a way that so few of us are, but we all benefited, every day, from what he knew and shared with us, in the most effortless ways.
(Even when he was talking about his time at Spy where he and Amy met — just charming. Always.)
All of us who were able to work with him gained a friend in the process, and are so much luckier for it.
We have sadly lost an amazing talent and an awesome human being. Always smiling and friendly, I shall miss Amid's presence in our community. My heartfelt sympathy to Amy and the family.
Amid was a giant in every way. I miss him already so much on every level. Love and sympathy to his family.
we lost a legend today. thanks for everything mate, you'll be missed
Just completely devastating is the only description that comes close.
I have know Amid for years and was lucky enough to serve on the SPD board with him as well. He was truly one of my very favorite people in this business; one of the genuine good guys. Amid was one of the people I would always hope to see at industry events. Incredible wit, intelligence and such a magnetic personality. Always one of the most approachable, positive and happy guys in the room. I still feel Amid and Bruce's hosting of the SPD Gala was the best it's ever been; Amid's personality, humor and creativity shining through the entire evening. I still remember everyone in the audience being drop jaw watching the film they put together and thinking they need to have their own TV show. (I hope we can post this film soon)
And this doesn't even touch on his incredible work in magazines.
My heart goes out to his wife and children.
I am honored to have known him.
I'm just stunned by this news. Amid took over at Rolling Stone after me, so I didn't meet him often. But I admired his work hugely, and I know his team really loved and respected him. He could also tell a blindingly funny Jann anecdote better than anyone.
I'm extremely saddened by this news. Amid was my mentor and friend. The years I spent working for him at Rolling Stone were some of the most fulfilling of my career. I always looked forward to catching up with Amid. I knew he'd always have a story and a smile. I'll miss that. My deepest sympathies go out to his family. This is a tragic loss.
My deepest heartfelt condolences to his family and friends. I will always remember my time working with Amid at Rolling Stone and how much I learned and grew from being part of his team. So sad at this tremendous loss.
Although I hadn't had the fortune of working with Amid, my introduction to his personality was his laugh-out-loud hosting of the Gala with Bruce. Two years later I was lucky enough to serve on the board with him where he surely made the group laugh just about every time we met.
I am deeply hurt and saddened by all this, and will miss his greatly. My deepest sympathies go out to Amy and his entire family.
(Posted also on Amid's Facebook page.)
I'm so sorry to hear this news. Amid and I weren't close friends, but you don't need to be to take measure of the man. At one point, when Amid was Design Director at Newsweek and I at Time, we were "frenemies"— in the best sense of the word. Whenever our paths would cross, Amid was always lovely, sunny and classy and smart; he had the bearing of someone who knows himself, someone who takes an honest look at himself and—for the best reasons—likes what he sees. For his family, nothing can erase the pain of his loss, but I hope the good wishes and honest appreciations of his friends and colleagues bring them strength and comfort in the coming days.
I am floored by this news.
I had the privilege of working alongside Amid on many 100's of editions of Newsweek. I was the Photo Guy, he was Design.
We laughed so much and ate so many cashews.
We even developed our own lexicon of magazine closing terms.
"Wot time is it?"
"Why...it's Crop o'clock!"
How did he describe the scene of large editorial meetings where half the room would be enthusiastically nodding in agreement to comments yet-to-be-uttered from the editor-in-chief?––"The Pre-Agree.”
He was a truly master designer, humorist, storyteller, manager and pop trivia savant.
But most importantly, he was a loving family man.
To his beautiful children: Your father was as good and talented a man as I ever knew. Live happy lives and do him proud.
Sure, Amid was a talented award-winning art director and an imaginative and creative member of our community. But more important to me, Amid was a class act: smart, sharp witted, funny, stylish, optimistic, generous ... a friend. A classic "good guy" in the old school way. The real deal. Cheers to you my friend.
I'm so very sad to hear this news. A brilliant light extinguished far too soon.
With love and respect
Anita
There wasn't a single time talking with Amid when I didn't laugh, get energized, feel smarter or experience all three at once!
He was an inspiration, his energy was pure, raw and wonderful.
We'll miss you Amid.
Amid always reminded me of Conan O'Brien. Not so much for his looks (although he did have some floppy hair when I first met him) but by the way he carried himself. He sort of bounded around and was always quick to let loose with a witty remark to keep things light and just blow off steam. It's been years since I was Amid's #2 at Rolling Stone, and although separated by time and distance, whenever we'd bump into each other there was never a problem picking up where we left off. Snarky zingers and scathing reviews on industry tomfoolery would commence with little to no prologue.
I'm going to miss that connection with Amid. I'm still trying to wrap my head around this sad news. My thoughts go out to Amy and the kids.
I never met Amid but judging by the heartlfelt comments from all those who knew him or worked with him, he was a hell of a guy and someone to be emulated.
True, he did really beautiful work but I'll think of him as a great person and a good family man before I think of his wonderful covers.
Totally stunning and awful news. I met Amid only in passing, but was a huge fan and enjoyed being in his proximity when I started my career as a freelancer at Wenner. What a sad day for all of us and for journalism.
Steven and I have just returned from Amid's wake in Port Chester. As we drove up the block, from the distance we saw a long, long line of people waiting to pay their respects to Amid's family. Everyone waited patiently and shared stories of Amid on the line. It was very cold. John Meacham waited behind us without a coat. We were next to someone who had gone to high school with Amid, and she recognized me from my little cameo as Ina "Tyler" Saltz in Amid and Bruce's meat-themed SPD Gala video. We waited over an hour just to get inside the funeral home, and then longer until we were able to hug Amid's beautiful wife Amy, his beautiful mother and three beautiful sisters. I told them we were from Amid's "other" family. The room was filled with flowers, and there was a video screen with a slide show of Amid with his children, wife, friends; Amid fishing, Amid laughing, Amid in his office. Martha Stewart came to pay her respects, and Jess Cagle, other faces from SPD, Geraldine Hessler, Lisa Michurski. When we left, the line was still very long, it was still very cold, and it had started to rain. But everyone waited patiently to say goodbye to Amid. He had so, so many people who admired him and loved him. I will miss you, Amid.
I only met Amid once, when EW hosted a Pub Crawl tour in April of 2010, and when his shining spirit was evident. He generously spoke to us for a good 20 minutes while he was waiting to be called into Martha Nelson's office to show her several options for the next issue's cover. He spread out his designs and invited the students to comment on them, creating a robust dialogue, and giving them what, sadly, has turned out to be their once in a lifetime chance to learn from him. When he got the call that Martha was ready for him, he promised that if we were still there when he came back, he would let us know which cover was the winner. We were, and he did. That morning, he gave those lucky young designers a real world look into our industry that surely influenced them, and I am grateful to have shared in the experience. Rest in peace, Amid, and my deepest sympathies to your family and friends.
This sad news breaks my heart. It has taken me a while to process since I first heard. What little comfort I can offer to Amy and the family are personal and private remembrances I plan to share just that way, in private.
What I can say is that I feel privileged to have gotten to know Amid, especially his younger self, when he was my Deputy at Travel-Holiday and later at SPY. We all knew then that he was a world-class talent and a great-guy, qualities that do not necessarily (and rarely) go hand-in-hand. What is so wonderful is that he remained true to that as a generous and funny gentleman, who always greeted an old friend who'd been out-of-touch as warmly as if we had just talked the day before. Consistently. Every time. I will miss that.
Ciao Amid. RIP
Amid had a tough challenge when he came to EW in 2009. Art directing a weekly magazine is easy; he did it for years at Newsweek. The bigger hurdle was winning over such a tightly knit art department.
We had been through a lot of change in a short period of time. Worry for our jobs was always percolating in the background. New managers, dwindling advertising. The last thing we wanted was a new Design Director. I didn't know Amid, so I was prepared for a man armored in a black power suit who was ready to clear out the art department.
But then I met him. Amid was a cartoon character. If I asked my friends from Long Island to draw a caricature of an art director, they would pencil a man with thick framed glasses, a checkered shirt and a blazer. (Or they would just draw some dude with a beret.)
When Amid joined our art department, he accepted the challenge like a man. He didn't make things easy on himself and bring in his own people. He wanted to be part of our family. And he did so without us even realizing.
That was Amid's charm. He operated with such grace that you never felt like you were working FOR him.
I can recall multiple times when Amid would fire out of a meeting on rocket skates, propel past my office, hit the brakes and reverse himself into the chair next to me. This would often occur when we were closing the magazine, so this routine meant that he was bearing some last minute changes. While breaking the bad news, he would eat my almonds, tell me about movies that came out on laserdisc before i even existed, and wrap it all up by drumming a Led Zeppelin song on my desk. Somehow, during this time, I made those design changes. And they were painless.
Working for the man taught me a thing or two about design, but more so, he taught me about BEING a man. How to never crack under pressure. How to work hard, and how to treat your loved ones. If anyone ever has the lapse of judgment to hire me as Design Director, I hope to do the job with half the grace and charm as Amid did.
I'll miss you buddy.
Cheers,
Mike
AMID CAPECI (R.I.P)
Sadly, I learned just now that Amid Capeci, Design Director of Entertainment Weekly has passed. I am so grateful for the opportunity to have interviewed with him for a design position back in the Summer of 2011. Mr. Capeci was full of charm, wit and grace. I know that if given the chance, his years of magazine design and talent would influenced me enormously. His legacy continues to affect me and always will...
Claibourn Hamilton, Designer
I am so deeply saddened by this news. This is way too young. What a bright and shining star. I did not know Amid but I am moved by the outpouring of love and support for him.