On June 26, 2020 the design community mourned the loss of a dear family member. Known by my students as the Grandaddy of Graphic Design, Milton Glaser took his last breath on his 91st birthday. 🎂

“If I can’t work. I can’t live.”

Milton Glaser

June 26, 1929 – June 26, 2020

It was my tremendous honor to conduct one of the final interviews with the legendary designer in his longtime studio. In August of 2019, Milton invited us into his studio for a discussion about art, design and creative legacy. We hope to soon release a glimpse of our conversation with Milton which is a portion of a larger project.

Countless designers are paying tribute to Milton on social media with stories, videos, interviews and visual responses. The outpouring of love is remarkable.

Milton once said “the idea of dying at my desk is the the most attractive thing I can think of.” On the day of our visit we received a call that the 90 year old designer would be late as he was in the hospital for medical emergency. Milton showed up about 90 minutes late wearing a colorful hanky and a bright smile on his face. He seemed thrilled to be in his studio even as it was in process of packing up to be moved to its current location at the School of Visual Arts.

Farewell Milton, you will be missed by many. 💔

The Milton Glaser Design Study Center and Archives is dedicated to preserving and making accessible significant works by designers, illustrators and art directors who have close ties to the School of Visual Arts. The collections represent the artistic and intellectual vitality of the SVA community and provide an invaluable resource to students, designers and researchers who wish to study the breadth of a designer’s work. Among the media available are sketches and original art, posters, printed samples and ephemera, audio and video recordings and photographic material. The Glaser Archives is a division of the Visual Arts Foundation, Inc., a not-for-profit entity.

Here is some behind the scenes action of the Untitled Era team setting up for our interview.

Good production takes time… and our interview will be well worth the effort. While you are waiting here are a few nice presentations from our friends.

I just love this photograph I found on Instagram. I asked the photographer for permission to use the photo for educational purposes and he replied “Please go ahead!!” – thank you Yousuf!