Monday, June 29, 2020

Milton Glaser R.I.P.

The world lost perhaps the most erudite designer, artist and illustrator this past week. At the age of 91, Milton Glaser passed away but his voice remains.

I’m sure all of us have looked back on our various influences and appreciation of Milton’s work. Introduced many, many years ago to the work of Push Pin Studio, scraping up the money to buy their book Push Pin Style in 1970 which showcased the studio’s output as exhibited at the Louvre’s Musée des Arts Décoratifs. Pouring over the pages, pulling it off the shelf innumerable times throughout my career, it become a guidepost for me. Now with his passing we are left with our experiences of hearing him in person, which I have done several times including this past December, or more recently in the past couple of days, online.

His voice still speaks to us. I would suggest that the Steven Heller interview from 2014 on Vimeo is one of the best examples of his passion, fortitude (I can't image I will be as clear-headed at 85) and somber advice to graphic designers, young and old. It will be a source of continued admiration for the man and a resource for reminding myself to “do no harm”.

Milton Glaser | Offset 2014