Milton Glaser

Milton Glaser was born in The Bronx, New York City. His parents, Eugene and Eleanor (née Bergman), were Hungarian Jewish immigrants. The family resided in the South Bronx. His father owned a dry-cleaning and tailoring shop; his mother was a homemaker. Glaser took drawing classes with artists Raphael and Moses Soyer before attending the High School of Music & Art in Manhattan.

Glaser graduated from the Cooper Union in New York City, took a trip to Italy, and after returning, he founded, Glaser, along with Reynold Ruffins, Seymour Chwast, and Edward Sorel, Push Pin Studios in 1954.

In 1957, the Push Pin Monthly Graphic was sent out to friends and clients. The studio's work rejected tradition and favored "reinvigorated interpretations of historical styles". Glaser and Seymour Chwast directed Push Pin Studios for twenty years, while it became a guiding reference in the world of graphic design. The studio "redefined and expanded the imprimatur of the designer, illustrator, and visual culture at large".

Glaser started his own design firm, Milton Glaser Inc., in 1974 and left Push Pin Studios the following year. In 1983, Glaser formed a partnership with Walter Bernard and established a publication design firm called WBMG in New York City. WBMG has designed more than 50 magazines, newspapers and periodicals around the world.

Over his career, Glaser personally designed and illustrated more than 400 posters. Milton drew heavily from early 20th century artists to create his own signature style that consisted of playful, psychedelic graphics with controlled blasts of colors along with silhouettes and bold geometric outlines. His work is displayed in the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, New York; the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; and the Israel Museum, Jerusalem. His work has also been featured in exhibits internationally. He had one-man shows at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

In 1988, Glaser designed the New York City Shelly Fireman-owned Italianate eatery Trattoria Dell'Arte across from Carnegie Hall.

Glaser was the subject of the 2008 documentary film To Inform and Delight: The World of Milton Glaser. A tribute to Glaser, still working in his 90th year, was published in The New York Times in 2019. That same year, Glaser decided to list his office townhouse at 207 East 32nd Street for sale given his age and deteriorating health. The building was sold for $7.5 million in 2020 to The New York Review of Books.

Milton Glaser was the uncle of Gabby Glaser, of the band Luscious Jackson. He was also a first cousin once removed of graphic designer Steven Brower; Glaser was Brower's mother's cousin. He died of a stroke and renal failure in New York City on his 91st birthday.

Glaser's parents were mildly observant Jews, and throughout his life Glaser himself was casually observant, which included fasting on Yom Kippur and hosting an annual Passover seder. Glaser stated that his Jewish background played a part in inspiring his designs, sometimes more than his American background.

He married Shirley Girton on August 11, 1957. His wife also graduated from the Cooper Union.