The man uses the words “poison gas” to describe his grasping, bold, and rebellious advertising style. George Lois, along with then Esquire editor Harold Hayes, released a series of covers which would go on to become the most recognized in the magazines history. Political incorrectness is perhaps the reason this Esquire series was so successful.The Cassius Clay (Mohammad Ali) St. Sebastian cover was done just when the famous boxer had just converted to Islam, and his refusal to take part in the Vietnam War. Lois’s portrayal of Mohammad Ali in a pose with arrows in his body is a reference to a Roman soldier St. Sebastian. St Sebastian survived execution after he had converted to Christianity.
George Lois also chose to use Sonny Liston as a black Santa Claus on one of his Esquire covers. It happened during the civil rights revolution and the country was going through racial tension. He came under fire from publishers and advertisers for using a man who was known as “the meanest man in the world”-because although Sonny was a famous boxer at the time, he had been to jail for armed robbery, and he was black.
George Lois saw advertising as a smart man’s game. In one interview he mentioned how it is impossible to find a creative person at Harvard even if they taught advertising. According to him a brand was famous only if normal everyday people could identify with it. And after reviving brands like ESPN, MTV, and Xerox, you could argue that he is probably one of the most influential creative directors of our time.
