Milton Glaser

Milton Glaser

Milton Glaser is a prominent twentieth century American graphic designer. His artworks had been exhibited at the prestigious the Georges Pompidou Center and Museum of Modern Art. He is recognized for designing the most trended logo of the century, I ♥ NY. His other notable designs include bullet logo that he designed for DC Comics and Bob Dylan poster. He founded Milton Glaser, Inc. in 1974 which is still successfully producing noteworthy artwork.

On June 26, 1929, Milton Glaser was born in New York City. He received his early education from High School of Music and Art and then graduated from the Cooper Union School of Art. He earned a Fulbright Scholarship to study at the Academy of Fine Art in Bologna, Italy. In 1952, he co-founded the revolutionary Pushpin Studio with Reynold Ruffins, Seymour Chwast and Edward Sorel. He was in the vanguard of the movement that opposed the austere modernism.

The Pushpin Studio vigorously explored and re-studied the graphic work produced in the previous eras in a new light. The study included both fine art and commercial art such as wood-cut illustration, Art Deco, comic books, Art Nouveau and Victoriana. The studio revised the ideas adding humor and other refreshing illustrative and decorative approach to the posters, book covers, magazines and record sleeves. The studio earned international reputation during 1960s and 70s for its innovative ideas for visual arts. Glaser managed to run the studios seamlessly for twenty years and had their artwork exhibited in Paris at the Musée des Arts Decoratifs. Subsequently, he left Pushpin Studio to focus on other designing projects.

In 1968, Glaser established New York Magazine in partnership with Clay Felker. The magazine became inspiration for other city publications who imitated its design and style. Glaser remained art director and president of the magazine till 1977. In early 1980s, he teamed up with Walter Bernard in formation of a New York-based publication design firm, WBMG. The firm takes pride in its years of successful designing of over 50 magazines, journals and newspapers. In fact, the firm redesigned some of the top-notch magazines including Rio de Janeiro’s O Globe, Barcelona’s La Vanguardia and US-based The Washington Post.

Besides Glaser’s involvement with WBMG, he founded his own firm, Milton Glaser, Inc. in 1974 in Manhattan. The studio produced an array of design in numerous disciplines. It also created corporate identities for several top corporations. The print graphics produced included logos, brochures, annual reports and signage. Moreover, the firm was also responsible for designing environmental and interior design. Some of Milton Glaser’s major corporate clients include Target, Eleven Madison Park, Brooklyn Brewery, the Rubin Museum of Art and JetBlue. Additionally, Glaser’s artwork has been exhibited world-wide. During late 1980s, he had hosted several exhibitions in Italy, showcasing the one-man-show poster at the Vicenza Museum and “Giorgio Morandi/Milton Glaser” at Communale d’Arte Moderna. Inspired by his artwork, the Italian government commissioned him to present a tribute to Italian artist, Piero della Francesca, through an exclusive exhibition, in 1991.

Furthermore, Glaser invested his creative energy not only on commercial enterprises but also actively participated in educational matters. Since 1961, he served as a Board member and instructor of the School of Visual Arts. He was the vice-president of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) and The International Design Conference. He received the 2004 National Design Award for Lifetime Achievement and in 2009 US President Barack Obama presented him the National Medal of Arts.