Pushpin Studio is a legendary design collective that sparked the "Pushpin Phenomenon" during the golden age of New York design in the early 1950s. Now, 94-year-old Seymour Chwast, the founder of Pushpin Studio, has collaborated with ROOTOTE, a brand specializing in tote bags.
Pushpin Studio
Pushpin Studios is one of the most influential and legendary design collectives of the 20th century.
Pushpin Studios, a design company founded in the 1950s by Cooper Union Art School students including Seymour Chwast, Milton Glaser, Reynold Ruffins, and Edward Sorel, quickly became famous around the world and sparked the global "Pushpin phenomenon."
He actively referenced Renaissance paintings, Victorian lettering, modern art, comics, and other influences, presenting designs that contrasted with the strict International Style typography. His emphasis on illustration, his colorful, witty, and humorous visuals, is known as the "Push Pin Style."
Seymour Chwast
Seymour Chwast went against the functionality-first graphics trend of American modernism in the early 1960s, and as a pioneer of postmodernism, he had a revolutionary influence on the world of illustration and graphic design around the world.
His diverse design ranges across a variety of fields, and he has designed over 200 posters and over 50 picture books.
He was the first graphic designer to have an exhibition at the Louvre in Paris for two months, and his work is now in the collections of major museums.
His designs transform "clichés" into never-before-seen graphics, always providing "surprise" and "discovery." Seymour's wit and humor, which can't help but bring a smile to your face, subtly remind us of the importance of a more "free," "fun," and "laid-back" lifestyle in a Japanese society where convenience and rationality are constantly required.
HP https://seymourchwastarchive.com/
POSTERMAN
By Seymour Chwast, Founder of Push Pin Studios
“POSTERMAN” is a collection of posters created over half a century by Seymour Chwast — graphic designer and founder of the legendary Push Pin Studios.
In contrast to the impersonal modernist design that dominated the era, Chwast proposed a “human-centered design” infused with humor, satire, and vibrant colors.
His posters, which depict society and everyday life through a unique lens, transcended the boundaries between art and advertising, influencing designers around the world.
This book serves as a visual textbook, reminding us of the importance of communicating with feeling, rather than merely conveying information.
From this collection, several of his most iconic works have been printed.
The Push Pin Almanack
Published in the early 1950s, The Push Pin Almanack was a promotional booklet created by Push Pin Studios to showcase their own design and illustration capabilities.
The term “almanac” originally refers to a yearly calendar or chronicle, and the studio borrowed this classical format to reinterpret history, customs, and everyday topics through cynical illustrations, humor, and conceptual design.
Embodying the spirit of “learning from the past to create anew,” this publication became a symbolic origin of Push Pin’s philosophy—celebrating freedom of expression and creativity.
The cover features a woodcut-style design that later became emblematic of the studio name “Push Pin.” The logo mark, representing the concept of the left “P” as Push and the right “P” as Pin, was developed from this design.
Chicken Logo
Beginning in 1957, The Push Pin Graphic was a promotional booklet published by Push Pin Studios.
Issue No. 63, released in 1976, was a special feature titled “All About Chickens.”
In this issue, the “chicken”—often used as a metaphor for cowardice—was depicted with both satire and charm.
From the following issue, No. 64, the studio adopted the “Chicken Logo.”
By giving the timid chicken round glasses, a tuxedo, and a bow tie, Push Pin transformed it into an intelligent and refined “gentleman chicken.”
More than just a logo, it embodies the very essence of the Push Pin aesthetic: rebellion with humor, and the fusion of classic and modern.
HELL
A representative work that reconstructs the theme of “Hell,” as depicted throughout religion, mythology, and literature, through Seymour Chwast’s distinctive lens of satire and humor.
Created in collaboration with design critic Steven Heller, this book serves as a guide to the many versions of “hell” born from the human imagination.
Rather than emphasizing fear or cruelty, Chwast’s approach reveals the foolishness, absurdity, and hopeless yet endearing nature of humanity.
Grotesque yet strangely charming, his illustrations invite us to reflect on the humor and beauty of being alive by gazing into the underworld.
The print features the artwork from the book’s cover.
Chwast Art Tone
A font that captures the groovy essence of Seymour Chwast’s 1960s Push Pin style.
Humorous yet intellectual, classic yet pop.
Features a print of the alphabet’s first letter, “a.”
Seymour Chwast Archives
A collection that brings back to life iconic illustrations by Seymour Chwast—originally featured in picture books, artworks, magazines, and advertisements—as tote bags.
Each design is visually captivating and irresistibly charming.
A witty, playful selection that makes you want to “buy it for the cover.”
