Milton Glaser, widely known as a pioneering graphic designer (including of the I ♥ New York logo) and print maker, created artwork for the Astor Pl station that complements the existing historic fabric while making a bold and modern statement. The station holds excellent examples of terra cotta and mosaics, particularly the Grueby Facience Company's plaques that depict beavers, a source of the Astor family wealth from fur trading.

Glaser described his approach as, "basically a variation on the existing forms. By extracting fragments of the motifs on the tile panels, enlarging their scale, and placing these pieces in a random pattern, they take on the appearance of a puzzle." The result is a series of porcelain enamel panels in geometric patterns and color that echo the historic elements but present them in an entirely new way.

Milton Glaser (1929-2020) was among the most celebrated graphic designers in the United States. He received the distinction of one-man-shows at the Museum of Modern Art and the Georges Pompidou Center. He was selected for the lifetime achievement award of the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum (2004) and the Fulbright Association (2011), and in 2009 he was the first graphic designer to receive the National Medal of the Arts award. As a Fulbright scholar, Glaser studied with the painter Giorgio Morandi in Bologna, and was an articulate spokesman for the ethical practice of design.