Happy (belated) Birthday, Mr. Glaser
On June 26th, America's greatest living graphic designer, Milton Glaser, turned 83. If you're a designer you're familiar with his work. If not, you're still familiar with his work: he created the original "I 
NY" that spawned a zillion offshoots.
I've been inspired by Glaser's artistic approach to design for as long as I can remember. He was the first designer I became aware of during my college years, when to the disappointment of my instructors I was paying more attention to protesting the Vietnam War than to graphic design. Still, Glaser's work stood out.
Sometime in the '70s he gave a talk at an AIGA meeting in Cleveland and afterwards, feeling a bit embarrassed, I asked him to autograph my copy of Milton Glaser Graphic Design. I came away from this very brief conversation impressed by his warmth and genuineness, qualities that you can see clearly in this short video by Hillman Curtis. I also recommend you visit MiltonGlaser.com to learn more about the man and his work.
Given my positive feelings for Mr. Glaser, I have no explanation for the goofy little dream I had recently while still teaching at Cuyahoga Community College.
Milton & me
As I was leaving the classroom, Milton rushed in to teach the next class. I said "Hi Milton!" and stuck out my hand in greeting. He stopped and stared at me, pointedly not reaching out for a handshake. After several embarrassing seconds I slowly let my hand fall to my side.
I told him we'd met many years ago at an AIGA Cleveland event, where like any fanboy I brought my copy of Milton Glaser Graphic Design for him to sign. He said that he was shocked by my greeting because no one talks with him at Tri-C. I explained that it might be because everyone was in awe.
We went into the room and talked about teaching. Students began to filter in. After a few moments I wiped my hand, damp with perspiration, on my pantleg and reached out again. This time Glaser returned my handshake. I told him I looked forward to more conversations. He mumbled something. I woke up.
