Every profession needs strong role models for
students and amateurs to look up to. Regarding graphic design and illustration,
Milton Glaser is one of the most celebrated artists of modern times. Most known
for creating the well-known “I Love New York” logo, he also founded Pushpin
Studios, New York Magazine, and Milton Glaser, Inc. Over the years, he has
published many influential logos and illustrations, earning him prestigious
awards in his field.
Born in 1929, Milton Glaser studied at the New
York High School of Music and Art, the Cooper Union art school, also in New
York, and the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna, Italy. Glaser co-founded Pushpin
Studios in 1954, along with Reyonld Ruffins, Seymour Chwast, and Edward Sorel;
He and Chwast directed this organization, which “exerted a powerful influence
on the direction of world graphic design” (Biography). Pushpin
Studios introduced an innovative and clever style of typography and design to
the illustration industry.
In 1966,
Glaser designed the poster “Bob Dylan with the Kaleidoscope Hair” for CBS
records, which was later included in Bob Dylan’s “Greatest Hits” album in 1967.
Although this poster is said to have “captured the psychedelic dazzle of the
flower-power era” (Edwards) in the use of contrasting dark and bright colors, Glaser states
that he actually took inspiration from an earlier art movement. “I was
interested in Art Nouveau at the time,” he recalls. “That was an influence for
the colors and shapes in the picture” (Edwards). He also created a unique font
specifically for this illustration.
As well as being an individual archetype
designer and illustrator, New York Magazine, which he founded in 1968 with Clay
Felker, has been known as a model for city magazines across the world and inspired
various imitations in style. Glaser acted as president and design director
until 1977, initiating and encouraging a revolutionary look that set the pace
for many future illustrations.
Glaser created the "I love New York"
logo design for the New York State Department of Commerce in 1973 to help
promote tourism. Surprisingly, he was never given trademark rights to the
image, to which fact he holds no hard feelings, but he is baffled by the
popularity of the logo, even after several decades. In a 2009 interview, he
stated, “I did the bloody thing in 1975 and I thought it would last a couple of
months as a promotion; why it has persisted in people's consciousness for such
a long time is totally miraculous” (BigThink). After the events of September
11, 2001, Glaser updated the design by adding a smudge to the heart and the
words “More Than Ever”. Glaser explained this variation in an interview with
Designboom in 2004, “The shaded portion represented the very area in lower
Manhattan where the once proud world trade center twin towers stood until a
pair of hijacked passenger jets slammed into them. Showing a wounded heart is
important. To attain healing, the first thing one must do is to acknowledge that there’s pain”
(Interview).
Established Milton Glaser, Inc., established in 1974, continues to
develop designs for corporate and institutional marketing solutions. Designers
at this Manhattan studio produce graphics for a wide variety of purposes, such
as logos, brochures, restaurants, malls, hotels, and other and commercial
environments. Glaser was selected for the lifetime Achievement Award from
Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in 1974 as well.
Milton Glaser’s work has been displayed at
worldwide exhibits in Paris Centre Georges Pompidou, New York Museum of Modern
Art, New York Lincoln Center Gallery, Houghton Gallery at The Cooper Union, AIGA
Gallery in New York and Philadelphia Museum of Art. When asked about his personal
style, Glaser replied, “I have the idea that there isn't any truth in style. It's
very temporal, bound to the moment that we live in and the way we see things. If
it's useful to you, fine, if not you move on to something else.” When asked if
he had advice for young designers, Glaser stated, “It’s a tough business, you
have to be amazingly consistent and persistent. You have to work like hell. You
cannot become an excellent practitioner without constantly working hard all
your life” (Interview).
References:
“Biography.” Milton Glaser. N.d. Web. 01
April 2012. http://www.miltonglaser.com/milton
Edwards, Owen. “Sign of the Times: Bob
Dylan.” Smithsonian Media. June 2010. Web. 01 April 2012. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/Sign-of-the-Times-Bob-Dylan.html
“Interview: Milton
Glaser.” Designboom. 18 May 2004. Web. 01 April 2012.
“BigThink Interview with Milton Glaser.”
27 August 2009. Web. 01 April 2012.
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