Milton Glaser, the graphic designer who created the “I ❤ NY” logo and co-founded New York magazine, died Friday on his 91st birthday.
He died of a stroke, his wife told The New York Times.
A native of the Bronx in New York City, he got his start as an undergraduate at Cooper Union art school designing place mats with silk-screen designs for Wanamaker’s department store.
He went on to become one of the most influential designers of the late 20th century, creating everything from magazines to advertisements to posters — including the iconic 1966 image of Bob Dylan with psychedelic hair commissioned by CBS Records to accompany the musician’s first greatest-hits album.
The following year, he teamed up with editor Clay Felker to found New York magazine, where he placed his stamp on the look and design of the pages until 1977 (a visual imprint that is still felt in the current version of the publication).
He also tried his hand at writing for the publication, collaborating with his friend Jerome Snyder, the design director of Sports Illustrated, on a food column called “The Underground Gourmet” that focused on inexpensive ethnic restaurants. The column led to both a guidebook and, in 1975, a cookbook.
His “I ❤ NY” logo for a 1977 campaign to promote tourism to New York state became an instant hit with the public, reproduced on a myriad of products over the years.