John PutnamJohn Putnam.

John Francis Putnam (June 21, 1917, November 29, 1980) was the art director and designer of Mad from 1954 to 1980. "Until John came to us, Mad was just a comic book," said publisher Bill Gaines following Putnam's death. "He joined Mad as a $75 a week temporary employee, and was the oldest member of the staff both in terms of age and time with the magazine." Putnam, the son of the novelist-playwright Nina Wilcox Putnam, also drew occasional cartoons for Mad.