Seymour Chwast


Seymour Chwast is an American graphic designer, illustrator, and type designer.

Biography

Chwast was born in the Bronx, New York City and in 1948 graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn where he was introduced to graphic design by his art teacher, Leon Friend. He joined the school's elite art squad. A portfolio was required for entry; he and the club would create on demand including posters, banners, and other materials for school events and social causes. That same year, he published his first illustration in the “It’s All Yours” issue of Seventeen.
In Chwast's commentary on his career he states: "I have a strong suspicion the way I draw—and what I draw—were preordained by the time I was nine years of age."
He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Cooper Union in 1951. After graduation, he went on to hold several jobs, which included working on promotional art for the New York Times. He also worked at Esquire magazine, where he reunited with fellow Cooper Union alum Edward Sorel. After both of them were fired in 1954, they founded Push Pin Studios along with Milton Glaser. Reynold Ruffins would join them shortly thereafter. The bi-monthly publication The Push Pin Graphic, a product of their collaboration, was launched in 1957.
1970 showed that American style had reached Europe. “The Push Pin Style,” was a Push Pin Studios exhibition offered by the Musée des Arts Décoratifs,at the Louvre in Paris, France. It was the first time that the Louvre had mounted a show of Graphic Art, and this show then traveled through Europe and to Japan.
Chwast is famous for his commercial artwork, which includes posters, food packaging, magazine covers, and publicity art. Often referred to as "the left-handed designer," Chwast's unique graphic design melded social commentary and a distinctive style of illustration which he refers to as his "Roxy Style". Today, he continues to work and is principal at Pushpin Group, Inc. in New York City.
In 1970, he met Paula Scher during an interview she had with him at Pushpin while she was still a senior at Tyler School of Art. They married in 1973 and divorced five years later. They remarried in 1989. Chwast has two daughters from a previous relationship, Pamela and Eve.
In 1985, he received the AIGA Medal. He is the font designer of Chwast Buffalo, Fofucha, Loose Caboose NF, and Weedy Beasties NF. He is a member of Alliance Graphique International.In 2023 he was awarded a National Design Award as a Design Visionary by the Smithsonian Design Museum in recognition of his work.
The newest show: "Yes, No, and WOW: The Push Pin Studios Revolution" is the latest retrospective of the group's work spanning the 50s into the 21st Century. It opened October 5, running through December 30, 2025 at The Church in Sag Harbor New York. This exhibit includes posters, books, vinyl record covers, and other objects from the six member artists: Seymour Chwast, Paul Davis, Milton Glaser, James McMullan, Reynold Ruffins and '''Ed Sorel.'''

Fonts designed

  • Artone
  • Blimp
  • Buffalo
  • Filmsense
  • Monograph
  • Myopic

    Awards

  • 1972 – Augustus Saint Gaudens Award, The Cooper Union School of Art
  • 1983 – Art Directors Hall of Fame
  • 1985 – American Institute of Graphic Arts Medal
  • 1989 – National Jewish Book Award in the Children's Picture Book category for Just Enough Is Plenty
  • 1992 – Honorary Doctorate, Parson's School of Design
  • 1997 – Masters Series, School of Visual Arts
  • 2011 – Inkpot Award
  • 2023 – National Design Award, Cooper Hewitt Design Museum

    Works

  • Poster Man : 50 Years of Iconic Graphic Design, Schiffer Publishing, 2021,
  • Docteur Dolittle, Helium livres illustrés, 2018
  • At War with War: 5000 Years of Conquests, Invasions, and Terrorist Attacks, An Illustrated Timeline, Seven Stories Press, 2017
  • The Pancake King, Princeton Architectural Press, 2016
  • About Diabetes: Your Guide to Good Health, Learning About Diabetes Inc., 2016
  • Dr. Dolittle, Creative Editions, 2015
  • Still Another Number Book: A Colorful Counting Book, Dover Publications, 2014
  • Still Another Alphabet Book: A Colorful Puzzle & Game Book, Dover Publications, 2014
  • Tall City, Wide Country, Creative Editions, 2013
  • Get Dressed!, Harry N. Abrams, 2012
  • Bobo's Smile, Creative Editions, 2012
  • The Odyssey, Bloomsbury USA, 2012
  • Graphic Style: From Victorian to New Century, Harry N Abrams Inc, 2011
  • The Canterbury Tales, Bloomsbury USA, 2011
  • Dante's Divine Comedy: A Graphic Adaptation, Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2010
  • Seymour: The Obsessive Images of Seymour Chwast, Chronicle Books, 2009
  • Had Gadya: A Passover Song, Square Fish, 2009
  • Illustration: A Visual History, Harry N Abrams, 2008
  • She Sells Sea Shells: World Class Tongue Twisters, Applesauce Press, 2008
  • The Push Pin Graphic: A Quarter Century of Innovative Design and Illustration, Chronicle Books, 2004
  • Graphic Style: From Victorian to Digital, Harry N Abrams, 2001
  • Traffic Jam, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1999
  • The Twelve Circus Rings, Harcourt Children's Books, 1996
  • Goodbye, Hello : Everything You Need to Help Your Child When Your Family Moves, Parenting Packs Harry N Abrams Inc, 1997
  • Mr. Merlin and the Turtle, Greenwillow, 1996
  • Jackets Required, Chronicle Books, 1995
  • Bra Fashions By Stephanie, Warner Books, 1994
  • The Alphabet Parade, Voyager Books, 1994
  • Graphic Style: From Victorian to Post-Modern, Harry N Abrams, 1994
  • Just Enough Is Plenty: A Hanukkah Tale, Viking Kestrel, 1988
  • Art Against War: Four Hundred Years of Protest in Art, Abbeville Press, 1984
  • Paper Pets: Make Your Own 3 Dogs, 2 Cats, 1 Parrot, 1 Rabbit, 1 Monkey, Harry N Abrams Inc 1993
  • Trylon and Perisphere: 1939 New York World's Fair, Harry N Abrams Inc, 1989
  • Italian Futurism & Art Deco , Mohawk Paper Mills/The Pushpin Group, 1988
  • Sam's Bar, Doubleday, 1987
  • New York Observed: Artists and Writers Look at the City, 1650 to the Present, Seymour Chwast, Steven Heller), Harry N Abrams Inc, 1987
  • Happy birthday, Bach, Doubleday, 1985
  • The Left-Handed Designer, Harry N Abrams, 1985
  • The Art of New York, Harry N. Abrams, 1983
  • Amazing Magical Jell-O Desserts, General Foods Corporation, 1977
  • Esquire Party Book, Esquire''/Harper & Row, 1965