Seymour Chwast
Encyclopedia
Seymour Chwast an American
graphic designer
, illustrator
, and type designer.
Chwast was born in Bronx, New York
, and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts
from Cooper Union
in 1951. With Milton Glaser
, Edward Sorel
, and Reynold Ruffins
, he founded Push Pin Studios
in 1954. The bi-monthly publication The Push Pin Graphic was a product of their collaboration.
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. Today, he continues to work and is principal at The Pushpin Group, Inc. in New York City.
He is the font designer of Chwast Buffalo, Fofucha, Loose Caboose NF, and Weedy Beasties NF.
He is a member of Alliance Graphique International (AGI).
Chwast married designer Paula Scher
in 1973 and divorced five years later. They remarried in 1989.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
graphic designer
Graphic designer
A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, printed or electronic media, such as brochures and...
, illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
, and type designer.
Chwast was born in Bronx, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
from Cooper Union
Cooper Union
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly referred to simply as Cooper Union, is a privately funded college in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States, located at Cooper Square and Astor Place...
in 1951. With Milton Glaser
Milton Glaser
Milton Glaser is a graphic designer, best known for the I Love New York logo, his "Bob Dylan" poster, the "DC bullet" logo used by DC Comics from 1977 to 2005, and the "Brooklyn Brewery" logo. He also founded New York Magazine with Clay Felker in 1968.-Biography:Glaser was born into a Hungarian...
, Edward Sorel
Edward Sorel
Edward Sorel is an illustrator, caricaturist, cartoonist, and graphic designer.Sorel is noted for his wavy pen-and-ink style, which he describes as "spontaneous direct drawing," since he does not use pencil or tracing for guidance...
, and Reynold Ruffins
Reynold Ruffins
Reynold Ruffins is an African American painter, illustrator, and graphic designer. With Milton Glaser, Edward Sorel, and Seymour Chwast, Ruffins founded Push Pin Studios in 1954...
, he founded Push Pin Studios
Push Pin Studios
Push Pin Studios is a graphic design and illustration studio formed in New York City in 1954. Cooper Union graduates Milton Glaser, Seymour Chwast, Reynold Ruffins, and Edward Sorel founded the studio....
in 1954. The bi-monthly publication The Push Pin Graphic was a product of their collaboration.
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. Today, he continues to work and is principal at The Pushpin Group, Inc. in New York City.
He is the font designer of Chwast Buffalo, Fofucha, Loose Caboose NF, and Weedy Beasties NF.
He is a member of Alliance Graphique International (AGI).
Chwast married designer Paula Scher
Paula Scher
Paula Scher, born October 6, 1948, in Washington, DC., is an American graphic designer, illustrator, painter and art educator in design, and the first female principal at Pentagram, which she joined in 1991...
in 1973 and divorced five years later. They remarried in 1989.
Awards
- 1972 - Augustus Saint Gaudens Award, The Cooper Union School of Art
- 1983 - Art Directors Hall of Fame
- 1985 - Gold Medallist, American Institute of Graphic Arts
- 1992 - Honorary Doctorate, Parson's School of Design
- 1997 - Masters SeriesMasters Series (School of Visual Arts)The Masters Series is a yearly award and accompanying exhibition started by School of Visual Arts founder Silas Rhodes in 1988. Recipients have included designers, illustrators, art directors and photographers...
, School of Visual ArtsSchool of Visual ArtsThe School of Visual Arts , is a proprietary art school located in Manhattan, New York City, and is widely considered to be one of the leading art schools in the United States. It was established in 1947 by co-founders Silas H. Rhodes and Burne Hogarth as the Cartoonists and Illustrators School and...
External links
- Seymour Chwast/PushPin
- AIGA Medalists: Seymour Chwast
- Art Directors Club biography, portrait and images of work
- A brief visit with Seymour Chwast: Icon of Contemporary Graphic Arts
- Fonts by Seymour Chwast
- Font Designer - Seymour Chwast
- Seymour Chwast - Colorado State University Libraries Poster Collection
- Postage stamps designed by Seymour Chwast