Discovering the Artist and Designer
Milton Glaser
Creating a Product-Logo-Magazine Ad
Read the following interview I had with the designer Milton Glaser. Your assignment follows the interview. This assignment will take one month to complete. You are to send in the four individual lessons, one each week.
Who is Milton Glaser?
Milton Glaser
Milton Glaser (b.1929) is among the most celebrated graphic designers in the United States. He has had 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 is an articulate spokesman for the ethical practice of design. He opened Milton Glaser, Inc. in 1974, and continues to produce a prolific amount of work in many fields of design to this day.
To many, Milton Glaser is the embodiment of American graphic design during the latter half of this century. His presence and impact on the profession internationally is formidable. Immensely creative and articulate, he is a modern renaissance man — one of a rare breed of intellectual designer-illustrators, who brings a depth of understanding and conceptual thinking, combined with a diverse richness of visual language, to his highly inventive and individualistic work. *
Born in 1929, Milton Glaser was educated at the High School of Music and Art and the Cooper Union art school in New York and, via a Fulbright Scholarship, the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna, Italy. He co-founded the revolutionary Pushpin Studios in 1954, founded New York Magazine with Clay Felker in 1968, established Milton Glaser, Inc. in 1974, and teamed with Walter Bernard in 1983 to form the publication design firm WBMG. Throughout his career, Glaser has been a prolific creator of posters and prints. His artwork has been featured in exhibits worldwide, including one-man shows at both the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. His work is in the permanent collections of many museums. Glaser also is a renowned graphic and architectural designer with a body of work ranging from the iconic logo to complete graphic and decorative programs for the restaurants in the World Trade Center in New York. Glaser is an influential figure in both the design and education communities and has contributed essays and granted interviews extensively on design. Among many awards throughout the years, he received the 2004 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, for his profound and meaningful long-term contribution to the contemporary practice of design.
Interview With Milton Glaser by Daniel Bonnell
Milton Glaser – The Prophetical Guide
An Interview by Daniel Bonnell
Questions, interviews, and personalities often equal the lame, useless, and banal. What is real always changes you if you are teachable. Asking the right questions feels impossible at times. As I write this, hurricane Irma is just 800 miles south of Savannah, Georgia where I live. Do I stay or do I go? Is there a greater risk of joining thousands out on highway I-95 in traffic that is going only 10 miles per hour, possibly running out of gas while all gas stations sit empty? Do I stay and run the risk of becoming a statistic of one of the worst hurricanes in history? It leads me to realize that life itself often disguises itself as just that, a series of questions, such as what is real and what is not? Questions related to reality, art, and philosophy swim in the same mind soup that wake me up at 2:00am too often.
Now and then we obtain a guide who can give us either a word of encouragement, or point a finger for us in the right direction. Guides are rare. We all need them. They teach us to see. As a young artist 30 years ago I took a course on design with 19 other students under Milton Glaser at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. It was packed with lectures, critiques, renowned visiting artists, as we produced assignments around the clock. It was wonderfully cultish, you gave your power over to Glaser day one and it was given back to you on day five; when you woke up on day six you knew you were a more intelligent artist, designer, and a bit wiser.
Milton Glaser is more than just a renowned international designer; his design matches his art through multiple venues including printmaking, posters, countless editorial works for major newspapers and magazines, and much more. His writing covers essays, lectures and editorials. His insight into analyzing art is on a par with Robert Motherwell. His ability to instruct and teach others has also become proven by the countless students that testify to having learned the “Glaser manner of approaching design.” Now at age 88 Milton Glaser has shown the world that he appears to also be a prophet of America’s politics, values and ethics. Kandinsky would surely say he is on the top of his “triangle of influence” as a guide of others.
Milton Glaser was educated at Manhattan's High School of Music & Art, graduated from the Cooper Union in 1951 and later, via a Fulbright Scholarship, the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna under Giorgio Morandi with whom he later shared a show in 1989. He was one of the founders of Push Pin Studios in 1954 that influenced the direction of world design culminating in an exhibition at the Louvre Museum.
President Barack Obama presented the National Medal of Arts to ten recipients for their outstanding achievements and support of the arts, The National Medal of Arts is a White House initiative managed by the National Endowment for the Arts, the nation’s highest honor for artistic excellence. Milton Glaser was one of those recipients.
Daniel Bonnell
Your work over the decades rises to a level of visual linguistics where it becomes a language unto itself. You started with a visual vocabulary using patterns in your
designs, posters, and prints as well as patterns that reflect the cultural art of Middle Eastern religions. You started with a sacred, visually high language as a foundation, to express secular contexts of art and design. The pieces you produced for the Rubin Museum of Art appear to voice this language, especially with your two pieces Light Tantra and Dark Tantra. Did this same creative language come from studying with Giorgio Morandi and the beautiful simplicity of his compositions?
Milton Glaser
It’s very difficult to be objective about one’s influences, largely because in most cases they are invisible; although, retrospectively, relationships can be discovered and similarities pointed out. I think in my own case, a broad interest in all forms of art history, regardless of their stylistic characterizations, led me to believe that all historical visual occurrences were useful to my own understanding of form and meaning. In a stylistic sense, I see no hierarchical difference between a cave painting and a Wisstler (?) etching. My study with Giorgio Morandi, most importantly, informed me that work itself was the core of my being, and that my commitment to myself came, essentially, through that work.
Daniel Bonnell
Can you share with me one or more of the most valuable insights that you gleaned from
studying with the renowned Italian painter Giorgio Morandi?
Milton Glaser
The fact that Morandi’s essential character never seemed to waiver in the face of fame or money protected and defined his integrity and accomplishment.
Daniel Bonnell
You state, “The interval between looking and seeing is one of communication’s most profound issues… certainty is a closing of the mind. To create the new requires doubt.” [1] Your theme of darkness underscores this thinking in your limited edition prints, Dark Landscape, Dark Fruit with Highlights and Dark-Eyed Woman. Doubt requires risk; how do you decide if the risk failed? Where are the boundaries? Do you have any examples?
Milton Glaser
Risk is essential to any form of learning. If one does not fail, how can you measure success? Embracing risk requires courage and above all persistence. Failing in one’s own eyes can be either discouraging or provocative. The ego enjoys success and fears admission of failure but controlling the ego is another thing we can talk about later.
Daniel Bonnell
Back during the George W. Bush administration you wrote an essay on lying and ethics.
I have lifted a section of that essay here:
“When people believe that their government systemically lies to them they become cynical. Cynicism breeds apathy and a sense of powerlessness that causes people to withdraw from public life. It is not coincidental that less than half our population votes. If only 44% of our country vote and we are equally divided ideologically, it means that 20% of the electorate control the fate of our nation—this has become a profound threat to the future of our republic and democracy itself. We can only call this a systemic scandal and observe that those in power have done very little to change the condition. Which raises one last question. From our government’s point of view, have we become the “other”? [2]
It appears that 20% of the electorate put President Trump into office. Your prophetic analysis proved to be correct. Do you see any change in the ethics of the artists today becoming change makers for influencing society or have we simply joined in to become the “other”?
Milton Glaser
I must say, my question is more relevant now than ever. Largely because of Trump, the passivity that arises out of powerlessness has spread throughout the world. The contempt that the powerful have for ordinary people is overwhelming and relentless. Not to mention, the consistent lying and misrepresentation that is fed to the entire world.
It’s hard to understand the time one lives in. Certainly, it has become increasingly popular for artists and others to demonstrate their opposition to the existing condition. Whether these gatherings, protests, posters and other like activities will affect those who control our lives and civilization itself is yet to be seen. For artists, the need to be on the side of fairness is a core definition.
Daniel Bonnell
In an essay on The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci you state:
“The human brain is a problem-solving organ, a characteristic that probably is at the center of our dominance over other species. The brain frequently remains inert until a problem is presented to it. In the case of The Last Supper, the profound ambiguity it contains alerts and stimulates the brain into action. Leonardo clearly believed that ambiguity was a way of arriving at the truth. As a result, the painting moves us in a deeper and more profound way than any direct statement.” [3]
I suppose you could then say the same about sacred spaces such as the Vietnam Wall, The Prayer Wall of David’s Temple, and Mecca. In the same sense the Confederate Statues that are coming down held a sacred cultural element for a time but the ambiguity of wrong symbolism within the art has brought it down. Would you then determine that ambiguity is the trickster of beauty?
Milton Glaser
Ambiguity has an essential role in all art. It creates the opportunity for the mind to make connections and actually examine what is presented to it. Ambiguity amplifies the thinking process itself. Although, I must admit that not all ambiguity operates on the same level.
Daniel Bonnell
In your essay Dark and Light-The Strange Case of the Decline of Illustration, you state:
“We have lost our sense of what is real, and replaced it with an addiction to the virtual reality created by television, entertainment, and advertising.”
It appears that U.S. American culture has now taken a large step backwards to the early 1960’s when race relations and civil rights were at the forefront of awareness in our society. Now we have the uprising of Black Lives Matter and the cultural turmoil of race riots all over again. The death of the Jim Crow era never occurred as many thought by the election of President Obama. Still, the reality of asking what is real, what matters, is always on the front burner, especially for artists that hold to a form of kenosis, a pouring out of their gift for others so that they can be refilled. This leads to my recalling potlatches from the Native Americans as mentioned in the book The Gift by Lewis Hyde.
To follow this path of potlatches, of what is real, you further state in the same essay, “The deepest role of art is creating an alternative reality, something the world needs desperately at this time. Everyone here today chose to be on the side of Eros ,that is you've devoted your life of making things, rather than controlling things. I used to feel that it was strange that artists are self-anointed. Now I realize it could not be any other way because above all, art is a view of life itself. It cannot be given by others or taken away by dealers or marketing men. Real artists are always working for nothing because they don't see their essential role in society as being simply to exchange goods. They turn up first in the anti-war demonstrations, not because they lack patriotism, but because they revere life.”
After reading this statement I think of various artists such Leon Golub who raised our awareness of terrorism, Luc Tuymans refusing to represent the representable in his untitled work depicting 9/11, and Roman Opalaka spending a lifetime depicting the awareness of time. I also think of the photographer Duane Michaels who asks important political, social, and ethical questions. He also states: “I feel the political aspirations are impotent. They can never be seen. If they are, it will only be by a limited audience. If one is to act politically, one simply puts down the camera and goes out and does something.” [4]
Are there particular artists that you may share with us that revere life to this end as you mentioned?
Milton Glaser
For all of us who aspire to be, or call ourselves, artists, one uniformly characteristic attribute emerges. They care about others as much as themselves and their work on the highest level serves to create a sense of commonality and agreement. The work itself may not be agreeable but engaging people’s attentiveness, we all have something to share. I’ve said it before, but my perception is that art is a Darwinian device to help the human species survive. In the presence of art we are least unlikely to kill one another, or to feel that we are all self-serving.
Daniel Bonnell
As one of your students 30 years ago, I once asked you how you felt about the fact that the world basically knows you as the creator of the I Heart NY logo and not your ingenious poster designs, etc. I asked how that made you feel. Your response was a direct, “Ahh, the monster of pride raises his ugly head once more!” You then went on to answer someone else’s question. Of course, my first emotional response was that I had asked an offensive question, only to realize that you were thinking of false pride, false ego and nothing else. Now three decades later your logo is seen around the world and it appears to have taken on a life of its own. I see it used in political street scenes on the news for nearly every political cause replacing the NY for a cause. Could you share how you came about creating the logo and relate your thoughts as to how art evolves to symbols greater than envisioned and why that is?
Milton Glaser
To begin with, I fully believe that everything in the world is connected. There are no independent events. In every problem you’re given as a designer the most important discovery is what the hidden relationship is. It’s always there. Once discovered, the answer to design problems are inevitable. Once I discovered I could change a noun into a verb (a heart into “love”) the image materialized. Apparently, the world was waiting for that connection to be made and after 40 years, I see it on the streets of New York at least five times a day.
Daniel Bonnell
You were born in 1929. You’re 88 years must have gleaned patterns from a metanarrative perspective. You started your career working with the visual language of patterns. Can you share with us the patterns of life that you have observed such as patterns of truth, patterns of a sacred nature, patterns of reality, patterns of great art?
Milton Glaser
Simply said, in the world of art there is no reality. There is only abstraction of reality. Sometimes it is narrative, referential and illustrative. Other times, it is abstract and symbolic. It’s all one thing. The discovery of what is ‘real’ is overwhelming and occurs rarely.
[1] Milton Glaser In Search of the Miraculous or One Thing Leads to Another, The Over Look Press 2012
[2] Dark and Light–The Strange Case of the Decline of Illustration, www.MiltonGlaser.com
[3] ibid
[4] Duane Michales by David Seidner, Bomb Magazine-Artists in Conversation-Issue 20, Summer 1987
Creating your own product:
Your assignment for the next month is to create a product to sell and advertise.
Week#1
In the first week your lesson is to create a product that fulfills an everyday need. When you go into the kitchen you find a hundred products that make cooking easier. When you go into your living room you see two or three different kinds of chairs that create comfort. When you go into the bathroom you discover hundreds of products that produce cosmetic appearances, hygiene, etc. You may create or invent one or more products, or a product line such as clothes design within fashion. Perhaps you are into food? Create a new food product. You must fill out the form below with your idea or ideas and be prepared to describe how your product works and why it is needed. You must also produce a rough raft or simple sketch of the product.
Complete this week:
Make two sketches of your new product, photograph them, and send them to ihs.db@yahoo.com
2. Complete the form below.
Week#1
Week#2
You are then to do research on your product. What does your competition look like? What does your audience look like? What is your demographic? Where will you sell your product? In short, this is called a business plan.
A business plan is a road map to get your business launched correctly. It answers all the most important questions. You can google templates of a business plan and fill one out. Here is one of many business plan templates that you can use. Just click on - Business Plan. When you start a new business there are many resources you can discover on the web. This is a second part of this lesson for this week.
In summary, for week two, you are to create a business plan that reflects research and you are to list resources that can help you in your being successful in your new business.
Complete this week:
Produce a business plan by using the link provided or discover your own template. Go to the Better Business Bureau, https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/plan-your-business/write-your-business-plan to view discover how a good business plan is produced. View the samples of business plans to create one of your own. When you are done make a photo of the plan or pages and send them to me at ihs.db@yahoo.com or scan the pages in and send them to me as well. As long as they are readable that is all the matters.
Week#3
Now that you have a product, a business plan, and resources to make your business successful, it is time to design a logo for your product that answers many questions related to the audience your product is designed for. The following answers need to be considered in designing your new logo. You must design at least four logos this week that will then be critiqued.
Logo element #1: Is the logo simple? Is it pleasing to the eye?
Logo element #2: Is the logo using a font that was developed for this product or are you designing a font that is unique and original?
Logo element #3: Why have you chosen the colors that you have? What is the feeling that you want to invoke with your color choices?
Logo element#4: What is special about this logo that it speaks directly to the audience of the product?
Week#4
This last week you will produce 2 ads for your product that answer these questions.
#1: Is you ad a quick read so that it stops a reader?
#2: Are you showing in the ad why your product is different or are you producing an ad that draws a reader into the copy?
#3: What principles and elements of design are you using in your ad to make have visual integrity?