Crimilda Pontes (1927-2000) was a graphic designer specializing in book covers and dust jackets for commercial book companies. She was also a calligrapher who presented her calligraphic works to world leaders and royalty, including Prince Philip of Britain. Pontes was a student of the renowned calligrapher, designer, and letter carver John Howard Benson whom she met while receiving her BFA in Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design (1948). After graduating from Rhode Island School of Design she worked as Benson's apprentice at the John Stevens Shop in Newport, Rhode Island. From 1951 to 1954 she worked as the Illustrator General at the Naval War College also in Newport and then moved to Buffalo, NY, to become an art instructor at Rosary Hill College until 1957.

After receiving her MA in Graphic Arts from Yale University in 1959, she took a job at the Yale University Press designing books and book jackets until 1964. Miss Pontes was a frequent winner in the University Press selections for design and production. She was cited for design excellence both in the United States and abroad. Her last job, which she held for 23 years, was in Washington D.C. where she worked for the Smithsonian Institute. She retired from the Smithsonian in 1988.