Seymour Chwast Explained

Seymour Chwast
Birth Date:18 August 1931
Birth Place:The Bronx, New York City, New York, U.S.
Nationality:American
Known For:Illustration, Graphic design, Type design
Training:Cooper Union
Spouse:Paula Scher

Seymour Chwast (born August 18, 1931) 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.[1] [2] That same year, he publishes his first illustration in “It’s All Yours” issue of Seventeen.

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.[3] After both of them were fired in 1954, they founded Push Pin Studios along with Milton Glaser. Reynold Ruffins would join them shortly thereafter.[4] The bi-monthly publication The Push Pin Graphic, a product of their collaboration, was launched in 1957.[5]

Chwast is famous for his commercial artwork, which includes posters, food packaging, magazine covers, and publicity art.[6] 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.[7] 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.[8] They married in 1973 and divorced five years later. They remarried in 1989.[9] Chwast has two daughters from a previous relationship, Pamela and Eve.

In 1985, he received the AIGA Medal.[10] He is the font designer of Chwast Buffalo,[11] Fofucha, Loose Caboose NF, and Weedy Beasties NF.[12] He is a member of Alliance Graphique International (AGI).In 2023 he was awarded a National Design Award as a Design Visionary by the Smithsonian Design Museum in recognition of his work.[13] [14]

Fonts designed

Awards

Works

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Leon Friend: One Teacher, Many Apostles. Design Observer. July 21, 2007 . en. July 21, 2019.
  2. Web site: Chronology Seymour Chwast Archive. en-US. July 21, 2019.
  3. Web site: August 27, 2021 . Graphic Giants: Seymour Chwast – Sessions College . October 13, 2023 . en-US.
  4. Web site: Pushpin Gallery . October 13, 2023 . pushpininc.com.
  5. http://www.pushpininc.com/html/seymour.html Seymour Chwast & PushPin
  6. http://lib.colostate.edu/posters/results-artists.php?id=137 Colorado State University Libraries Poster Collection
  7. http://pushpininc.com/ Pushpin Group website
  8. Web site: PrintMag . June 13, 2010 . Design Couples: Paula Scher and Seymour Chwast . October 13, 2023 . PRINT Magazine . en-US.
  9. News: Goldwasser . Amy . January 12, 2006 . At Home With Paula Scher - Graphics' Grande Dame Remakes the World in Type . The New York Times . May 8, 2010.
  10. Web site: 1985 AIGA Medalist: Seymour Chwast. AIGA the professional association for design. May 31, 2019.
  11. http://www.linotype.com/1517/seymourchwast.html LinotypeGmbH.
  12. http://www.myfonts.com/browse/person/chwast/seymour/ MyFonts Seymour Chwast
  13. Web site: August 8, 2023 . 2023 National Design Award Winners Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum . December 18, 2023 . www.cooperhewitt.org . en-US.
  14. Web site: Heller . Steven . October 6, 2023 . The Daily Holler: Seymour Chwast is Awarded the Smithsonian's Highest Honor: Design Visionary . December 18, 2023 . PRINT Magazine . en-US.
  15. Chwast, Seymour, The Push Pin Graphic, A Quarter Century of Innovative Design and Illustration, Chronicle Books, San Francisco, California, 2004, p. 249-50.
  16. http://www.cualumni.com/olc/pub/CPN/cpages/about/augustus_award.jsp Cooper Union Alumni Association, Augustus Saint Gaudens Award Recipients
  17. http://www.adcglobal.org/archive/hof/1983/?id=250 Art Directors Club / Hall of Fame Archive / 1983 / Seymour Chwast
  18. Web site: Past Winners. Jewish Book Council. en. January 30, 2020.
  19. https://www.comic-con.org/awards/inkpot Inkpot Award

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