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Waking this morning to the sad news that Milton Glaser has passed away, aged 91. The contribution, and sadly now the loss, of Milton to visual culture and education cannot be underestimated. He was simply the greatest.
Working at a time when the modernist doctrine was prevalent, Milton brought in a myriad of influences and references to his diverse and dynamic work—working with wit and play backed and underpinned by a boundless intelligence.
His contribution to criticism on design and creativity, for me, surpasses almost any other practicing designer and he challenged and progressed the role of the designer more than many and for that at least we owe him a great debt.
Listening to Milton talk on any subject was captivating and inspirational, one has to only listen to him talk through his mother’s spaghetti recipe, which he did at the AIGA, to know that that everything can influence and inspire, or as Milton likes to say “to inform and delight”
Milton will live forever through his iconic work. The I
NY logo and Dylan’s silhouette to name two of the countless thousands of lasting images he created, but he will also inspire and be remembered for being very much active in civic life...
NY logo and Dylan’s silhouette to name two of the countless thousands of lasting images he created, but he will also inspire and be remembered for being very much active in civic life...
... creating powerful work for a better humankind. Always an inspiration to me, my earliest notions of what Graphic Design was were attached to his work.
I once had the privilege of sharing a few conversations with Milton on Design’s role in education, industry, society, politics, and humanity. Listening to him challenge, educate, but also inform and delight me will remain one of the most treasured moments of my career, and life.
But one of my happiest was hearing a letter drop through my door one morning. I thought nothing of it until my eyes caught sight of a small red rectangle on the envelope, encasing a name stacked typographically into its syllables.
Inside a letter from Milton, responding to a project I was compiling as a recent graduate on handwriting.
His beautiful curly script seemed to embody everything about him I’d experienced—warm, human, and, written in a rainbow Hardtmuth Magic Pencil, a delightful twist of humour. RIP Milton. You will be missed enormously.
