Senate Resolution No. 444

BY: Senator SERRANO

CELEBRATING the life and accomplishments of Milton
Glaser, renowned artist and celebrated graphic
designer

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to honor and pay
just tribute to the memory of those prominent individuals whose creative
talents have contributed to the entertainment and cultural enrichment of
the citizens of the State of New York; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
celebrate the life and accomplishments of Milton Glaser, renowned
artist, celebrated graphic designer, and life-long New Yorker from his
birth in 1929 to his passing in 2020; and

WHEREAS, Born in the South Bronx on June 26, 1929, to parents of
Jewish immigrants from Hungary, Milton Glaser began his early education
in the arts taking lessons from social realist artists Raphael and Moses
Soyer before enrolling in the High School of Music and Art in Manhattan;
and

WHEREAS, Milton Glaser then continued his studies at The Cooper
Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, where he formed lasting
connections with classmates that would go on to challenge the orthodoxy
of contemporary commercial design; and

WHEREAS, In 1951, Milton Glaser won a Fulbright scholarship to the
Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna, Italy, where he studied with still-life
painter Giorgio Morandi, greatly influencing his design aesthetic,
focusing on creation and the humanistic communication of visual imagery;
and

WHEREAS, After returning to the United States, Milton Glaser founded
Push Pin Studios in 1954, along with fellow Cooper Union classmates
Reynold Ruffins, Seymour Chwast, and Edward Sorel, integrating elements
of surrealism and narrative illustration, as well as using experimental
typography to launch a new direction for commercial design; and

WHEREAS, In 1966, Milton Glaser was commissioned by CBS Records to
design a poster insert for the LP Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits; this iconic
poster of the singer's silhouette with lively multi-colored bands of
hair married influences of Marcel Duchamp and Islamic art, visually
capturing and expanding the recording artists' influence on a
generation; a print of the poster hangs in the Museum of Modern Art and
more than six million copies have been printed and distributed, with
demand for reprints continuing to this day; and

WHEREAS, Furthermore, in 1968, along with editor Clay Felker, Milton
Glaser founded New York Magazine, which sought to epitomize the New York
experience using experimental and sometimes ambiguous imagery to capture
the crosscurrents of daily life in New York; and

WHEREAS, In 1977, Milton Glaser designed the eponymous, 'I Love New
York' logo and chunky typography on a scrap envelope while in the back
of a taxi cab; this work was provided pro bono and spawned the
widespread adoption and permutation of the logo from coffee mug kitsch
to State promotional campaigns; once again, Milton Glaser distilled a
vision of New York into a simple, four-character design embracing
optimism, and even playfulness, following the City's fiscal decline in
the 1970s; the original scrap on which the logo was hurriedly sketched
with red crayon also now hangs in the Museum of Modern Art's permanent
collection; and

WHEREAS, Following the tragic events of 9/11, the 'I Love NY' design
again became a rallying symbol for people expressing solidarity in the
New York region and worldwide; during this time, Milton Glaser updated
the image to read "I Love NY More Than Ever," with the heart displaying
a dark bruise; these posters were plastered throughout the City and in
newspapers as New Yorkers once again set out to reestablish a common,
expansive vision for New York; and

WHEREAS, Milton Glaser continued designing iconography for the
masses, spanning over 400 posters, book covers, museum promotions, and
rug designs as well as logos for World Aids Day, DC Comics, Grand Union
Supermarkets, Brooklyn Brewery and Stony Brook University; and

WHEREAS, It is the intent of this Legislative Body to publicly
recognize those who have contributed extensively to the cultural and
artistic achievements of this great Empire State and Nation; now,
therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
celebrate the accomplishments of Milton Glaser, a man who defined
aesthetic in modern life and reimagined graphic design as a fine art;
and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the family of Milton Glaser.