Milton Glaser

Affecting through Art

Milton Glaser is a prime example of an artist who uses their talent to make a difference. His iconic “I Love New York” design, originally created to promote tourism in New York State, became a symbol of unity after the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York City.

“After the terrorist attacks of September 11th, the trauma and madness of the event stirred up all the fears about

anihilation and uncertainty of my earliest childhood. For six or seven weeks I could think of nothing else and spent my time trying not to feel powerless and impotent.

“I wanted to use my skill and training as a designer to affect the situation. I was not alone in this regard. Many designers in and out of New York, feeling they had a public responsibility, produced images and words to help us deal with this unprecedented event. I felt proud to be part of a profession where serving the needs of the public was considered appropriate and necessary.”

As a result, Glaser modiﬁed his design to add “more than ever” below the original logo, and added a black bruise to the heart to symbolize the loss of the world trade centers.

Stefan Sagmeister, in an interview with Steven Heller, related how valuable Milton Glaser and his designs were to the city of New York following 9/11:

“I remember going to a horse race around November 2001, - half of the 50,000 people at the track wore the I HEART NY button, which, so close after 9/11, it was an incredible outpouring of support, a truly touching event. Milton’s symbol took on all the best (unifying) attributes of a great ﬂag without any of its worst (excluding) ones.”

In addition to using his own talents for outside causes, Glaser, well known in the industry and a major inﬂuence on contemporary design and illustration, is in a unique position to also inﬂuence other designers and artists with regards to their social roles as visual communicators– and he does.