New Seymour Chwast archive draws together his iconic work online

I don’t use the word “iconic” lightly, but in the case of designer Seymour Chwast, it fits. Co-founder of Push Pin studios, Seymour shaped what graphic design and being a graphic designer meant in the 20th Century, creating images that not only looked incredible, but distilled a message that could be anything from a light-hearted comment on design itself to an anti-smoking poster. His much-imitated graphic and illustration style still holds up brilliantly today, as proved by a fantastic new online resource, the Seymour Chwast archive.

The project was directed by graphic designer and writer Bryn Smith and the site designed and developed by Frank LaRocca, and it hosts a stunning collection of Seymour’s work and essays as well as quotes singing his praises from design luminaries including Paula Scher (his wife) and Steven Heller. For another insight into the man himself, take a look at our Printed Pages feature, where we gleaned insights from him on contemporary illustration, ideas and the fact that “most ideas have been done before so you just have to keep doing them in a better way.”