Not only was he a brilliant designer, but he was also a shrewd businessman.
Mr. Glaser did the package design and logo for the Brooklyn Brewery beer company back in 1987.
Instead of being paid for his great design services, he opted for stock in the company. The Brooklyn Brewery company had $15,000 budgeted for the logo and they were getting estimates for $40,000+ for the logo design. A few years ago, the company sold 24% of it to Kirin Beer, so the stock is still valuable.
A few years ago, I took some refresher classes at the School of Visual Arts. Yes, I graduated from Kutztown State College, now Kutztown University, with a degree in Communication Design, but I wanted to keep up to date with the design field. So I signed up for a design class that was to be taught by Mr. Glaser, only to find out one of his assistants was teaching it on the first day. I stuck it out thinking that maybe Mr. Glaser would make an appearance or do a portfolio review so I could finally meet him. After all, he designed so many great, iconic logos, ads and posters, like the I <3 NY logo and posters for New York State, Barrons, New York Magazine, and Brooklyn Brewery. Along with posters I know are in the Smithsonian, or at least should be, Colombia Records Poster or Bob Dylans Greatest Hits, the School of Visual Arts, Temple University, Julliard, Carnegie Hall, and so many more.
And most of these were created and designed before the computer was so integral to advertising and marketing like it is today.
Mr. Glaser is definitely an artist. He is still alive today, and maybe I’ll get to meet him when I travel to the city.
Maybe after the Corona Virus scare is over. Here’s to aiming for WOW!