Edward Sorel was born in New York City in 1929. After studying at the Cooper Union School of Art he joined with two other students, Milton Glaser and Seymour Chwast, to form the Push Pin Studios. The venture was extremely successful and had a major influence on graphic design in the 1950s.

Sorel left Push Pin Studios in 1958 to concentrate on his own work. Sorel's illustrations have appeared in Atlantic Monthly, Time Magazine, Esquire and Village Voice.