Bienvenue dans cette nouvelle série de podcasts où nous plongeons dans la sagesse de Milton Glaser, le graphiste emblématique décédé en 2020. Glaser, mieux connu pour son logo "I ❤️ NY", a partagé ses dix principales leçons de vie lors d'une conférence d’AIGA à Londres en 2001. En plusieurs épisodes, nous explorerons ces idées, que nous avons découvertes grâce à Reading Design (readingdesign.org), une archive en ligne de pensées critiques sur le design. Rejoignez-nous alors que nous déballons les précieuses leçons de vie et de créativité de Glaser, un épisode à la fois.

Notes et références

[01:00] Milton Glaser — TEN THINGS I HAVE LEARNED

[08:00] YOU CAN ONLY WORK FOR PEOPLE THAT YOU LIKE.

This is a curious rule and it took me a long time to learn because in fact at the beginning of my practice I felt the opposite. Professionalism required that you didn’t particularly like the people that you worked for or at least maintained an arms length relationship to them, which meant that I never had lunch with a client or saw them socially. Then some years ago I realized that the opposite was true. I discovered that all the work I had done that was meaningful and significant came out of an affectionate relationship with a client. And I am not talking about professionalism; I am talking about affection; I am talking about a client and you sharing some common ground. That in fact your view of life is someway congruent with the client, otherwise it is a bitter and hopeless struggle.

[21:00] IF YOU HAVE A CHOICE, NEVER HAVE A JOB.

One night I was sitting in my car outside Columbia University where my wife Shirley was studying Anthropology. While I was waiting I was listening to the radio and heard an interviewer ask ‘Now that you have reached 75 have you any advice for our audience about how to prepare for your old age?’ An irritated voice said ‘Why is everyone asking me about old age these days?’ I recognized the voice as John Cage. I am sure that many of you know who he was – the composer and philosopher who influenced people like Jasper Johns and Merce Cunningham as well as the music world in general. I knew him slightly and admired his contribution to our times. ‘You know, I do know how to prepare for old age’ he said. ‘Never have a job, because if you have a job someday someone will take it away from you and then you will be unprepared for your old age. For me, it has always been the same every since the age of 12. I wake up in the morning and I try to figure out how am I going to put bread on the table today? It is the same at 75, I wake up every morning and I think how am I going to put bread on the table today? I am exceedingly well prepared for my old age’ he said.

[25:00] Pour avoir une idée des pensées de Taleb sur les chauffeurs de taxi

Let’s take one small example of a dubious claim: on pages 83 – 84, Taleb tells a parable about two men, one a banker and one a taxi driver. In that parable the taxi driver differs from the banker:

Because of the variability of his income, [the taxi driver]” keeps moaning that he does not have the job security of his brother—but in fact this is an illusion, for he has a bit more. [. . .] Artisans, say, taxi drivers, prostitutes (a very, very old profession), carpenters, plumbers, tailors, and dentists, have some volatility in their income but they are rather robust to a minor professional Black Swan, one that would bring their income to a complete halt.

Dans les prochains épisodes, on poursuivra l’exploration des autres leçons:

SOME PEOPLE ARE TOXIC AVOID THEM.

PROFESSIONALISM IS NOT ENOUGH or THE GOOD IS THE ENEMY OF THE GREAT.

LESS IS NOT NECESSARILY MORE.

STYLE IS NOT TO BE TRUSTED.

HOW YOU LIVE CHANGES YOUR BRAIN.

DOUBT IS BETTER THAN CERTAINTY.

ON AGEING.

TELL THE TRUTH.

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