Milton Glaser: 52 years worth of iconic posters in one tome to treasure

To many, Milton Glaser is the embodiment of American graphic design during the latter half of this century” notes Patrick Argent on the prolific master of design.

Glaser's “presence and impact on the profession internationally is formidable. Immensely creative and articulate, he is a modern renaissance man — one of a rare breed of intellectual designer-illustrators, who brings a depth of understanding and conceptual thinking, combined with a diverse richness of visual language, to his highly inventive and individualistic work” adds Argent.

Born in 1929, Milton Glaser was educated at the High School of Music and Art and the Cooper Union art school in New York and, via a Fulbright Scholarship, the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna, Italy.

Glaser co-founded the revolutionary Pushpin Studios in 1954, founded New York Magazine with Clay Felker in 1968, established Milton Glaser, Inc. in 1974, and teamed with Walter Bernard in 1983 to form the publication design firm WBMG. 

From his “I (Heart) NY” logo which he designed for free through the DC logo he envisioned in the 70’s to his three subway posters he designed in 2017 for SVA’s now 50-year-old 'Underground Images' initiative as a “counterpoint to Trumpism” Glaser’s iconic works aim to transform the world in a better designed place.

Glaser’s artwork has been featured in exhibits worldwide, including one-man shows at both the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and the Museum of Modern Art in New York while his creations are part of many permanent collections of museums around the globe.

An influential figure in both the design and education communities Glaser has contributed essays and granted interviews extensively on design.

Among many awards throughout the years, he received the 2004 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, for his profound and meaningful long-term contribution to the contemporary practice of design.

“Design is one activity, art is another, and they have different objectives” Glaser recently told. “Design is purposeful and intends to accomplish a goal, which is premeditated and defined at the beginning [whereas] what art does is guide you towards avoiding premeditation. It illuminates what is real and what is not real.”

Yet in the hands of a master, there is interplay between the commercial aims of design and the illuminative possibilities of art, and this can readily be seen in Glaser’s posters, of which he has made more than 450 since 1965.

In celebration of his work and contribution to the visual language of our times the book “Milton Glaser Posters” (published by Adams) is a compendium of poster art at its best with more than 450 he envisioned since 1965 combine conceptual rigor and originality with a mastery of visual language and a high level of artistic expression.

Some, like his 1967 Bob Dylan poster for Columbia Records, are literally iconic; others, like his series celebrating “I Love New York,” evoke his best-known work. Milton Glaser Posters includes them all, with Glaser’s own commentary describing his thought process and inspiration. The book is a delight for the art lover, an education in visual expression, and an entertaining journey through the cultural life of half a century, all rolled into a single compact, intense volume.

Order your copy here.