There was one bright spot in the New York Times Magazine article about the Bjergso brothers. Thankfully it didn't have anything to do with them. Embedded in the article was link to a sidebar—or as the magazine calls it an "Interactive Feature"—in which, graphic designer Milton Glaser takes a critical eye to beer label design. Being a graphic designer, I'll admit to having my worlds collide here.
You might be asking, "Who the hell is Milton Glaser?"
At 84, Glaser's career spans from the era of skinny ties, cigarettes, and the Madison Avenue scene, to Adobe Photoshop and the digital revolution. He has designed some of the world's most recognizable "identities" (that's graphic design talk for logos), including I Love NY, Fed Ex, Target, and of course Brooklyn Brewery. He's most recognized however, for a poster he designed, entitled Dylan, which accompanied Bob Dylan's 1967 Greatest Hits album. More recently, AMC has asked Glaser to design the promotional material for the final season its 1960s, advertising-themed series, Mad Men. I gotta' say, that seems like a perfect match.
In any case, Glaser gives some insight into why some beer labels work—like Left Hand's Nitro Stout—and why some don't (sorry DogFish Head.) If you want a peak into the mind of someone who is really creative—and it sure ain't the bearded, brothers Bjerso—check out what Mr. Glaser has to say.
You might be asking, "Who the hell is Milton Glaser?"
In any case, Glaser gives some insight into why some beer labels work—like Left Hand's Nitro Stout—and why some don't (sorry DogFish Head.) If you want a peak into the mind of someone who is really creative—and it sure ain't the bearded, brothers Bjerso—check out what Mr. Glaser has to say.
Interesting, but I never found the Brooklyn Brewery logo particularly appealing. To me it always looked like a baseball pennant, rooting for the home team kind of thing, slightly retro too. All the theory behind this is interesting and perhaps it worked the magic intended, but at the end of the day, the beer, only the beer, is important. I've never been a fan of most of this brewery's beers and the logo cannot change that for me.
ReplyDeleteGary
I'm pretty sure Glaser was going for a retro look, which harkened to arguably one of the most defining and iconic elements of the borough of Brooklyn—the Brooklyn Dodgers. That was the point.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, this isn't a beer discussion. It's a discussion of design. There is no brewery or designer out there who thinks there logo in any way, shape, or form that their logo will alter you perception of the flavor of their beer. That's not the point of a logo. The argument that logos and labels don't matter—only the beer matters—is an irrelevant argument.
I agree, I was just making an incidental comment.
ReplyDeleteGary