Seymour Chwast

Seymour Chwast, regarded as one of the most influential artist of the 20th century, he is the founder of the famous Push Pin Studio

Chwast had a playful expressive approach to type and layout was the paint of the new design wave based on revivalism a radical alternative to the Swiss formalism of the time.

Chwast reated a style that is synonymous with most creative and progressive aspects of graphic design.

• Inspired by naïve primitive imagery found in children’s books
• Inspired by wood blocks
• His designs were playful
• Offered an alternative to Swiss design
• Used concept and design
• Reintroduced illustration
• Appreciated and reapplied past styles and forms in graphic design
• All this will influence the psycadalic 

Chwast's designs and illustrations have been used for advertising, animated films, TV, graphics, record covers, trade and children's books, package design, posters, and magazine.

The Chwast frequently used the technique of line drawings overlaied with other colour films and experiments with large variety of media and substrata.

The Judy Poster from the 1960's shows vibrant flat coloours aptly the resonance of her singing. Chwast used his own typeface Blimp for the title.Philip B. meggs. and Alston W. Purvis.eds., 2012. Meggs’ History of Graphic Design. Fifth Edition. Hoboken Canada: John Wiley & Sons,Inc. pg 443

The album cove on the right demonstrates Chhwast's ability to synthesize diverse resources the German expressionist wood cut, surreal dislocations and dynamic colour found in primitive art into an appropriate expression of the subjectPhilip B. meggs. and Alston W. Purvis.eds., 2012. Meggs’ History of Graphic Design. Fifth Edition. Hoboken Canada: John Wiley & Sons,Inc. pg 443













Poster protesting the bombing of Hanoi 1968

A mundane advertising slogan against new life when combines with blue woodcut  and offset printing green and red areas

Philip B. meggs. and Alston W. Purvis.eds., 2012. Meggs’ History of Graphic Design. Fifth Edition. Hoboken Canada: John Wiley & Sons,Inc. pg 444

Chwast developed a number of Novelty display typefaces, these often began as lettering for assignment and then where developed into full alphabet. His type design echoes Victorian, Art Nouveau, Op art, and Art Deco forms. Philip B. meggs. and Alston W. Purvis.eds., 2012. Meggs’ History of Graphic Design. Fifth Edition. Hoboken Canada: John Wiley & Sons,Inc. pg 444

References

Philip B. meggs. and Alston W. Purvis.eds., 2012. Meggs’ History of Graphic Design. Fifth Edition. Hoboken Canada: John Wiley & Sons,Inc.