Seymour Chwast
American Graphic Designer, Illustrator, and Type Designer
(1931 – Present)
Born: Bronx, New York
“If you dig a hole and it’s in the wrong place, digging it deeper isn’t going to help.”
– Seymour Chwast
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Biography
As co-founder (with Milton Glaser and Edward Sorel) of Push Pin Studios, Seymour Chwast developed a playful, expressive approach to type and layout. During the mid-to-late sixties, Push Pin was on the leading edge of popular art, producing high-profile advertisements, book jackets, posters, record covers, and magazine covers.
In 1970, Push Pin Studios was honored at the Louvre’s Musée des Arts Decorativs in a historic retrospective entitled “The Push Pin Style.”
After Milton Glaser left Push Pin in 1975, Mr. Chwast continued the Push Pin tradition, founding Push Pin Press (later Push Pin Editions), and eventually transforming Push Pin Studios into The Pushpin Group.
Seymour Chwast’s colorful and witty designs and illustrations have been used in advertising; animated films; and editorial, corporate, and environmental graphics. He has created over 100 posters; designed, written, and illustrated numerous children’s books; and developed many typefaces. In addition, he designed and illustrated The Push Pin Graphic and his current publication, The Nose.
Many museums, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.; and the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, have collected his posters. Mr. Chwast continues to lecture and exhibit worldwide and is a frequent contributor to The New York Times and The New Yorker.