In Search of the Miraculous: Or, One Thing Leads to Another

by Milton Glaser

As a young man, he read a phrase that stayed with him through his life: "In Search of the Miraculous." One could say that all human experience is a miracle--memory, color, taste, Vermeer, stars, watermelon, etc. For those like Glaser, the act of making things that move the mind is perhaps the deepest aspiration to the miraculous. In this volume, he has chosen work, largely created by him over the last five years, to demonstrate how one concept leads to another. Through fascinating juxtapositions, readers will gain insights into Glaser's oeuvre, journeying with him as he discovers that seemingly new designs frequently come out of provocative ideas taken from the distant past.

Genres: Design, Art, Nonfiction

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 5, 2012

About the author

Milton Glaser was a celebrated American graphic designer and artist, whose notable designs include the "I ❤ NY" logo, the psychedelic Bob Dylan poster, and the logos for DC Comics and Brooklyn Brewery. Born in the Bronx in 1929, he was educated at Cooper Union. In 1954, together with Seymour Chwast, Reynold Ruffins and Edward Sorel, he co-founded Push Pin Studios, which became a guiding reference in the world of graphic design. In 1968 he co-founded New York magazine with Clay Felker. Glaser had one-man-shows at the Museum of Modern Art and the Georges Pompidou Center. He was selected for the lifetime achievement award of the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum (2004) and the Fulbright Association (2011), and in 2009 he was the first graphic designer to receive the National Medal of the Arts award. Glaser died in June of 2020, of a stroke.

Reviews

[Cathy Cotter · Rating 2 out of 5]

He is an icon but only people at the top of their field can get away with selling a book like this. The title was very provocative and inviting to me. It was a gift from a generous friend who knows how much I admire Milton Glaser. I “read” this in under an hour and maybe I am missing something but the only thing I came away with was that Milton Glaser is a great artist and has done some incredible work in his career beyond logos and posters. But I already knew that. No mind altering epiphanies, no thought provoking insights, not even a few sprinkled pithy quotes. Just nice images to look at.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was interesting seeing the development of some of Glaser's ideas and and exploration of certain visual concepts, but I wish he talked more about them. A lot of works are simply accompanied by, "here is this thing. Here is that thing." I suppose that I hoped to gain more insight into his decision-making processes during creation, and his reflection upon those things at the time of writing this book. I very much enjoyed seeing some of his rejected works, and also the dark pieces at the end.

This is an incredibly short read and has a lot of Milton Glaser's works that aren't necessarily his most popular ones. I recommend it for inspiration, and just to get a quick glimpse into the world of Glaser's work.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of reviewers here complained that this was a quick read and didn’t ‘reveal’ much but just showed the art. Therein, to me, was the demonstration of his point-that one thing leads to another, and often from other realms and provenances, when one develops a design project. Did they want him to go on a page after page text description of what the handmade Turkish rug looked like, or *show* its evolution to and fro graphic projects? Showing the art is the necessary language, and I took lots of screenshots to help evolve my own projects, proving Glaser’s point. Great stuff from a master. And, really how cool was his apartment!

[Christopher Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an easily digestible read, and more than definitely worth a couple of minutes of my time. Intriguing imagery as well, as you might imagine.

[AOK · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Search of the Miraculous: Or, One Thing Leads to Another is a quick read. The nature of short books is that one assumes that they cannot possibly pass any concepts onto the reader. Glaser manages to impart wisdom and show inspiring works in these short 90 pages. This lovely book will probably take you a mere twenty minutes to read, but, if you're like me, you'll continue picking it up and flipping through it, finding wisdom in both his words and works.

[Richelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, I read it in just a few minutes. I didn't know who Milton Glaser was before picking up this book, and I'm not sure I have any better idea now, after reading this. The images of the artist are intriguing, but not my style. I like the section of work rejected by clients. Much revolves around "the interval between looking and seeing is one of communication's most profound issues".

[kmac · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the openness & insight provided into one man's creative process. He could've easily doubled the length of this quick read with additional comments, but perhaps the brevity is all the inspiration we need.

[Aral · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Kundalini yoga is all about releasing the serpent energy that resides at the base of the spine."

interesting

[Jay Salvosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, that was quite a quick read!