There is a lot to be learned from an artist’s random doodles. For example, the most telling thing about Milton Glaser’s sketches made when we served together on the AIGA board during the late 1980s is how beautifully he draws and how vividly and expressively he depicts the human form.
I’d sit next to him at these meetings, making my own scribbles, occasionally peering over to my right in order to take a look at what he was up to. Extraordinary. I routinely noticed he’d either leave them behind or discard them. I never let them be destroyed and collected dozens over the years.
These sketches were entirely impromptu. He wasn’t solving a problem or daydreaming in pictures. I could see that his attention was on the meeting at hand. Glaser says “drawing is thinking,” but I never asked him what he was thinking at the time. These splendid drawings were coming from somewhere deep inside, but not the board meeting, which, I can assure you, was free of nymphs, devils, lions, bears and elephants.
Last Call! Enter Before It’s Too Late. Deadline: Dec. 2
Whether you design your own typefaces, design type-centric pieces or create gorgeous handlettered projects, we want to see your work—and share it with our readers in a big way.
Enter today for a chance to be featured in Print magazine, receive a prize pack from MyDesignShop.com, and more.
RELATED POSTSMy Favorite DummyBrooklyn Street ArtThe Dean of DesignThe Bernini Of Cardboard SculpturesNarrative Of Things
About Steven Heller
Steven Heller is the co-chair of the SVA MFA Designer /Designer as Author + Entrepreneur program, writes frequently for Wired and Design Observer. He is also the author of over 170 books on design and visual culture. He received the 1999 AIGA Medal and is the 2011 recipient of the Smithsonian National Design Award.View all posts by Steven Heller →