He didn’t charge a penny for the most famous of his designs, the one reproduced to exhaustion on calendars, pencils, T-shirts and key chains. It was 1976 and New York was not a safe place. In a cab, the iconic Milton Glaser, looking at the long faces of the people, thought: I love this city. And he captured it like someone who writes down a thought in code: mixing letters and a drawing, “I Love NY”.
The master of design advocated that the great vital change occurs when one is willing to see things without the veil of what one knows and thinks. That’s why he changed so many registers, from press, records, books, posters, logos, writing to children’s stories.
One of his lesser known designs was the Brooklyn Brewery logo. He did not receive a penny for this design, just free beer for life. Years later, Brooklyn Brewery asked Thirst Craft to redesign Brooklyn Lager, first introduced in 1988. As such, Milton Glaser’s original B remains unchanged and the original details of the 1988 Brooklyn Lager, such as the stars, have been reintroduced. Despite the years, this famous canned beer is still one of the most popular beers in U.S. breweries.
