Issue 006: Milton Glaser, America’s 250th, Ganbaru

Greetings friends.

My apologies for missing last week’s issue. I just moved, and life is a bit hectic at the moment. With the July 4th holiday, I am going to try something a little different, and mix up the format to make this issue a bit shorter. Let me know what you think of it.

Have a safe and happy holiday. Wear a mask! ????

Roger

No doubt the graphic design community lost a hero and mentor to many when Milton Glaser passed away on June 26. Known for his design wit and illustrative style, he was also a very deep thinker, especially later in life. That was very apparent when last year, I watched an interview Glaser did for AIGA San Diego in 2017 for the Y Conference. He and his work have inspired countless others. So his legacy lives on. Rest in peace, Uncle Milton.

Further reading…

In Remembrance: Milton Glaser (1929 – 2020)

1972 AIGA Medalist: Milton Glaser

Milton Glaser Analyzes Olympic Logo Design Through the Ages

A visual tribute to Graphic Design legend Milton Glaser

Milton Glaser’s Unseen Design for New York: ‘Together’

America’s 250th birthday brand seeks to unite a “divided” country (designweek.co.uk)

Some stunning work by Landor to help mark the United States’ upcoming 250th birthday.

Landor creative director Valerie Aurilio says that “the brief itself was a tremendous challenge.” The commission asked the consultancy to create a brand that would be “strong enough to inspire and unite all Americans yet flexible enough to speak to each individual American”.

Meanwhile, the Trump campaign is selling a T-shirt with an emblem reminiscent of a Nazi symbol. Quite the opposite of uniting all Americans, I’d say.

Apple’s UI Design Aesthetic Moving Towards Neumorphism (core77.com)

I’m not as convinced as the author that Apple’s macOS Big Sur UI can be labeled as neumorphism. It simply doesn’t play with light as much as the original by Alexander Plyuto does. Debatable, I suppose. Thalion has a great roundup of other design notes from Big Sur.

How the Japanese Adopt Flow With Just One Word (medium.com)

Ganbaru, or “stay firm by doing one’s best,” is really about practice, doing it 1% better every day, and plain perseverance. For an even deeper dive into the meaning and history of the term, check out “Ganbaru: Fight! Do Your Best! Never Say Die!“ from Tofugu.

Selection controls — UI component series (medium.com)

Taras Bakusevych continues his excellent UI component series by doing a deep dive into selection controls: checkboxes, radio buttons, toggles, etc. If you missed his articles on buttons and forms, go back and have a read.

The winners of the 2020 Apple Design Awards (apple.com)

Apple recognizes apps with great design every year at its annual developers conference, WWDC. This time, because WWDC was virtual, they took a cue from reality shows and surprised developers over FaceTime. “We’re all working so hard just to make beautiful things exist…,” says Where Cards Fall developer Sam Rosenthal, as he accepts his surprise Apple Design Award.

Amrit Pal Singh has made a collection of 3D avatars in all manner of shapes, headgear, and colors that celebrates diversity.