Milton Glaser

As the acclaimed show "Mad Men" (AMC 2007-2015) recalled, the 1960s were considered the golden age of advertising. And it was because of artists and graphic designers like Milton Glaser that advertising had been raised to the level of art during that decade. Blessed with a unique vision, Glaser had a remarkable run of work that lasted over five decades. He was born in The Bronx, New York. Glaser was a major fan of Picasso and Morandi, and was trained at Cooper Union and the Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna. After graduating from Cooper Union, Glaser formed Push Pin Studios with his Cooper alumni Edward Sorel, Seymour Chwast, and Reynold Ruffins. Among the legendary Glaser creations include the "I Love NY" logo, a Bob Dylan poster with the singer's face illustrated in black silhouette with brightly colored hair, the logo for DC Comics, and much more. Glaser was also the founder of New York magazine, which was created in 1968. After Push Pin, Glaser founded another company, Milton Glaser Inc., in 1974, then WBMG with Walter Bernard in 1983. Glaser worked in a wide variety of mediums, including logos, stationary, and eventually websites. Glaser also worked on ad campaigns for Target, Trump, Julliard, Clay Felker, and The Metropolitan Opera, a book cover for acclaimed novelist Philip Roth, the logo for Brooklyn Brewery, and more. Under the WBMG umbrella, the company redesigned The Washington Post and several other publications. Celebrating Glaser's remarkable run of work, he was the subject of one-man shows at the Museum of Modern Art in 1975, the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris in 1977, and the Lincoln Center in New York in 1981, among others. Coming full circle, Glaser designed the ad campaign for the seventh and final season of "Mad Men" in 2014. Milton Glaser died on June 26, 2020 at the age of 91.