Design 200 Blog!: Assignment 02

Milton Glaser - (longer)

Milton Glaser, born in 1929, is one of the most well known graphic designers in American history. He is a creative icon and an inspiration to many people. His education in the graphic arts began at the High School of Music and Art and then continued on through his graduation at The Cooper Union, both of which are located in New York. Immediately upon his graduation, Glaser went to study at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna, Italy on a Fulbright scholarship (Bryony Gomez-Palacio, Armin Vit 170). Soon after, Milton returned to the U.S. and went on to co-found one of the most-influential design groups, Push Pin Studios. After being with Push Pinfor 20 years, Milton left the group and went on to co-found New York Magazine in 1968, establish Milton Glaser, Inc. in 1974, and then team up with a mannamed Walter Bernard in 1983 to form the publication design firm WBMG (Area of Design). Throughout his career, Milton Glaser his designed hundreds of posters and prints along with publications, packaging, advertisements, and so much more. He has contributed anextremely substantial amount to the design world and continues to do so today through his writing, lectures, interviews, and summer courses, which sell out year after year without fail (Bryony Gomez-Palacio, Armin Vit 170).

I believe that it is safe to say that Milton Glaser is most well known for his “I ♥ NY”design, which has been duplicated, copied, and produced aninnumerable amount of times. Personally, I find Milton Glaser to be an extremely influential person and am amazed at how much of a contribution one man can make to a field. He has received many awards throughout his lifetime, one of them being the “2004 Lifetime Achievement Award from the SmithsonianCooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, for his profound and meaningful long-term contribution to the contemporary practice of design”(Area of Design). Hislist of achievements and awards goes on and on and goes to show that he is truly a successful, accomplished person.

One of the most interesting things that I read about Glaser was his list of “Ten Things That I Have Learned.” In order, the list reads: 1.) You can only work for people that 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.) On aging – It doesn’t matter, 10.) Tell the truth (Area of Design). To me, this list and the descriptions that he gives under each item show a person that is verywise in his years and has experienced a lot in his long life. Of this list, I found his points in numbers five, seven, and eight to be the most interesting. For example, if you really think about it, less really isn’t more at all. However, this phrase has become so popular and overused simplybecause it contains a paradox within itself which, as Milton states, “is resistant tounderstanding.” In his description he gives the example that there is simply no way that a plain blue rug is “more” or better than a beautiful Persianrug with all of its beautiful colors and designs as the phrase would lead you to believe. In his seventh point, Milton describes thehonest idea that how you live changes your brain. He describes that a friend of his stated “…the brain is susceptible, in a way that we are not fully conscious of, to almost every experience of our life and every encounter we have.” All of these points prove that Milton is truly an intelligent man that many can look up to. Milton Glaser, today at the age of 81, continues to, and will always be, an icon in the field of Graphic Design.

Works Cited:

Gomez-Palacio, Bryony, and Armin Vit. Graphic Design, Referenced: A Visual Guide to the Language, Applications, and History of Graphic Design. Beverly, MA: Rockport, 2009. Print.

"Milton Glaser | American Icons." Area of Design. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. .

"Posters & Prints." Milton Glaser. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. (for pictures)

David Carson - (shorter)

Graphic design artist David Carson has been named as one of the most influential graphic designers of our time by many different sources. However, until the age of 26, Carson wasn’t interested in graphic design at all. David began as a great surfer and was even professionally ranked as number eight in the world at the pinnacle of his career. He graduated as a sociology major from San Diego State University and taught as a high school teacher in Grants Pass, Oregon. It wasn’t until he was considered an “elder” in surfing that he began to discover graphic design through a two-week workshop he took part in at the University of Arizona in 1980. In 1983 he was presented with his first opportunity to completely design a magazine, Transworld Skateboarding, from start to finish. He moved on to also work on the Musician, Beach Culture, and Surfer magazines. Then, in 1992, his career was brought into full swing when he was hired as art director of Ray Gun magazine where he worked on 30 issues over only three years and “deployed an enthralling number of typographical maneuvers that challenged every single rule imagined, infuriating one part of the design profession and invigorating the other” (Bryony Gomez-Palacio, Armin Vit 170). In 1995, Carson established his own design firm and has since then done work for brands such as Levi’s, Microsoft, and Pepsi. Furthermore, his first book, The End of Print, is the top selling graphic design book of all time and has been printed in five different languages (David Carson Design). Not only has Carson continued to put out more books on graphic design since then, but he has also received numerous rewards for all of his work. For example, The International Center for Photography chose Carson as “Designer of the Year” for his use of photography in design (David Carson Design). Today, Carson continues his work as he lectures all over the world and holds workshops for anyone who is willing to learn (Bryony Gomez-Palacio, Armin Vit 170).

For me, the most interesting part of David Carson’s story is the fact that he didn’t start out with any visible interest in graphic design at all. Yet, he still was able to become one of the most well-known and respected graphic designers of our time. The typography in his work is extremely unique, well done, and unlike anything else. He is a great influence on many people from surfers to graphic designers and continues to be today.

Works Cited:

Gomez-Palacio, Bryony, and Armin Vit. Graphic Design, Referenced: A Visual Guide to the Language, Applications, and History of Graphic Design. Beverly, MA: Rockport, 2009. Print.

"Bio, David Carson." Dcd. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. .

Pictures:

David Carson Photo. 2009. Photograph. Group of One. 30 Dec. 2010. Web. 12 Apr. 2011.

Don’t Mistake Legibility for Communication. Photograph. ARSGrafik. Web. 12 Apr. 2011.

Photograph. Beiträge Aus: Design. 2 Oct. 2009. Web. 12 Apr. 2011.

Trek. Photograph. Pantagruel Design. 6 May 2008. Web. 12 Apr. 2011.

Marian Bantjes - (shorter)

Typographer, visual communicator, illustrator, and writer Marian Bantjes began her career in 1984 when she began working as a book typesetter. Later, in 1994, Marian began her own design firm where she personally employed a group of 12 people to work with her (Bantjes). During this period she mainly worked as a typographer where she began to develop her deeply feminine artistic style (Stanić, Lipavsky 332). Then, in 2003, Marian left her firm and went to work on her own experiment in “following love instead of money” (Bantjes). At this same time, Marian began writing for a weblog titled “Speak Up” which didn’t take long to gain the attention of designers across America. Since then, Marian has designed numerous amounts of works ranging from covers and layouts in the Print magazine to working for clients such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Penguin Books (Stanić, Lipavsky 332)(Bantjes).

I am personally drawn to Marian Bantjes’s work because of her feminine style and thoughtful ornamental patterns and designs that she weaves into the majority of her work. I also really appreciate her outlook on life where she designs for the love of design and not simply to make money and please others. Today, Marian is currently a part of the Canadian Society of Graphic Designers, Alliance Graphique International, and is also a speaker and teacher at many conferences and events held worldwide.