Milton Glaser has been a force in design and publishing since before Inc. was around: He launched New York magazine with Clay Felker in 1968. He founded two studios that have produced some of the most iconic imagery ever put to paper, like the "I ♥ NY" logo. Fashion star Cynthia Rowley puts her whimsical visual signature on everything she makes. Though very different, they each exemplify in their work a trend that Inc. has charted for years: the rise of terrific design as a competitive business advantage.
In a conversation with Kris Frieswick.
When did you realize you wanted to be in the business of design?
Milton Glaser: I knew that I was going to spend my life making things when my cousin came in to babysit for me when my parents were going out. He had a brown paper bag with him. We sat down in the living room, and he said, "You want to see a bird?" And I thought he had a bird in the bag, and I said, "Yeah." And he reached in and he pulled out a pencil. He drew a bird on the side of the paper bag. It was like receiving the stigmata. Suddenly, I almost fainted with the realization that you could create life with a pencil. And at that moment, I decided that's how I was going to spend my life. And as it turns out, that's how I have spent my life.