German-American calligrapher and designer.

George Salter (Oct. 5, 1897 – Oct. 31, 1967) was a German-born and, from 1940 on, American calligrapher, book and book jacket designer, illustrator, and teacher who revolutionized the world of book jacket design. He is known for his ability to capture the contents and essence of a book on its cover, demonstrating this skill on thousands of design projects.

George Salter (born Georg Salter) was born on October 5, 1897 in Bremen, Germany. His interest in the visual arts began in music and theater with set and stage design. After serving in the German army during World War I as a mapmaker, he studied set painting and design at the Kunstgewerbe- und Handwerkerschule (School of Applied Arts and Crafts) in Berlin. After a few years of professional set and stage designing outside of the capital, he returned to Berlin to focus on book jacket design in 1927. In the twelve years spent as a professional in Germany (1922-1934), Salter designed for thirty-three German publishers and produced over 350 designs, most of which were book jackets. His style differed from his contemporaries, which speaks to his popularity. He strayed from the art-nouveau designs that dominated the early 20th century book market. His style encompassed a number of different design models and used an innovative blend of typography and illustration.

Towards the end of his time in Germany, Salter was the director of the Commercial Art Department at the Höhere Graphische Fachschule (Institute of Graphic Arts) in Berlin. However, with the rise of Hitler and the National Socialist Party, it became clear that Salter was no longer welcome in his own country and he emigrated to America in November of 1934.

In the U.S., he established himself as a talented and coveted book jacket designer, working closely with a number of important publishers ranging to best sellers from Alfred A. Knopf to serial mystery magazines put out by Lawrence E. Spivak. His distinctive style continued to develop as did his reputation and the respect of his peers and colleagues. He also resumed teaching, now at Cooper Union in New York City where he taught for 30 years.

He became a naturalized U.S. citizen on September 19, 1940 and changed his name from Georg to George Salter. In 1942 he married Agnes Veronica O’Shea and the couple adopted their daughter, Janet Salter Rosenburg, in 1946.

Salter’s career in America was illustrious, busy, and successful, lasting from his arrival in New York in 1934 until his death 33 years later in 1967. He remains one of the most highly regarded calligraphers and book jacket designers in America because of his unique ability to capture the contents of a book through a cover design.