Christine's Design Blog

Milton Glaser: To Inform and Delight
Directed by Wendy Keys
An Arthouse Films Production

I went last night with several Pratt buddies to watch this film at the Cinema Village on 12th Street. Though it was only an hour and thirteen minutes long, it was one of the most delightful and inspiring documentaries I’ve ever seen.

Milton Glaser, now 80 years old, is such a legendary icon in the graphic design world. From his famous I <3 NY design (for which he did not receive a penny) to starting up New York Magazine and teaching at the School of Visual Arts, it seems he’s pretty much done it all. I was lucky enough to see him in person at the SVA MFA Thesis Forum, but if you don’t get a chance to see him in person, you can still get a taste of what it’s like to hear him speak when you watch this film.

Full of amazing insight, ideas, and intellect, the film really leaves you wondering how it’s possible for one human being to be able to do it all. The people interviewed had only wonderful things to say about him, and the man himself is so modest. Glaser attributes his success to the lucky circumstance of growing up in New York, getting a great education in high school and then at Cooper Union, as well as traveling. One story he told was about deciding between attending a science high school or an art school. His science teacher, who said that he was very good at science and encouraged him to pursue it, saw him in the hallway after Glaser had decided to go to art school. The teacher motioned for him to follow him into his office. Glaser said that his heart dropped. Entering the office, the teacher opened up a drawer, took out a box of French conté crayons, and handed them to Glaser, saying something along the lines of, ‘Do good.’ And Glaser explained that from then on, he felt like the only way to pay the teacher back was to do good work.

Another of my favorite moments in the film was when one of the people interviewed, I can’t recall who, said that Glaser always said, ‘We should always operate on interruptions.’ It’s such a refreshing idea — rather than being bogged down by schedules, rules and regulations, he realizes that the best things usually come from the unexpected and the unplanned.

Now there’s a rumor that the character of food critic Ego from Pixar’s Ratatouille is based on Milton Glaser, who is said to be very harsh in critiques. You can read his thoughts on this here. But, like Ego, you can tell from the film that Glaser is just somebody who merely upholds a standard of excellence, and, in the end, is just a lover of life and art. Plus, at the end of everything he says, he breaks into a great big smile — how can you not love somebody so talented and full of heart? I can’t wait for it to come out on DVD, so I can watch it and be inspired over and over.