What if our favourite uncle were perhaps the most famous graphic designer alive today, having given the world such cultural iconography as the famous Dylan poster and wildly popular I Love New York logo and dozens more? What advice would he give us looking back at his own career as a seminal figure in American graphic design for more than 50 years? At a recent AIGA National Design Conference, “Uncle” Milton Glaser captivated audiences with his keynote address entitled This Is What I Have Learned.
Likely well known to readers of these pages as we’ve mentioned him before, Glaser is the co-founder of Pushpin Studios, head of his own design firm, Milton Glaser Inc., Creative Director of New York Magazine, instructor and board member of School of Visual Arts and an esteemed author and speaker. His work is as pervasive as it is important, having helped define an entire generation of graphic design. In his 2002 AIGA speech, Glaser lists his top ten lessons he’s learned about the practice of design:
1: You can only work for people you like.
2: If you have a choice, never have a job.
3: Some people are toxic, avoid them.
4: Professionalism is not enough or the good is the enemy of the great.
5: Less is not necessarily more.
6: Style is not to be trusted.
7. How you live changes your brain.
8. Doubt is better than certainty.
9. Solving the problem is more important that being right.
10. Tell the truth.
If you have some time and further interest in Mr. Glaser, I recommend listening to the August 19, 2005 episode of Design Matters where Debbie Millman interviews the design guru in a really compelling iTunes Podcast.
Alternatively, check out the Hillman Curtis short film about Milton Glaser with a rare look inside Glaser’s studio as he talks about his work, methods, objectives and life, such as the rewards he reaps from teaching and joy about using graphic design to make the world a better place.
Posted by Mark Busse
Tags: Design, Inspiration, Learning, Pop Culture
