Exhibition on ‘I love NY’ logo creator Milton Glaser

A exhibition in the United States is showcasing the working processes of the late Jewish professor and graphic designer Milton Glaser, whose ‘I Love New York’ logo has become well-known worldwide.

SVA [heart]  Milton: The Legacy of Milton Glaser, at SVA Gramercy Gallery at 209 East 23rd Street, explores Glaser’s designs, which include the ‘I [heart] NY’ logo that is found globally on merchandise, souvenirs and clothing, but it was far from his only notable work.

Creating from 1960 until 2017, Glaser was the force behind album covers, posters, and magazine covers, while designing logos for DC Comics and the Celebrate Israel Parade, among many others.

“There’s some stuff that people have interacted with continually over the course of their lives a million times, but maybe didn’t even realise it was his work,” said Beth Kleber, head of SVA’s Milton Glaser Archives, which opened in 2003.

Some of Glaser’s design ideas came from his Jewish background and culture, said the exhibition’s curators, adding that he told Hadassah Magazine in 2009 that he never felt “at home in any culture”.