Seymour Chwast is always referred to as “the legendary graphic designer and co-founder of Push Pin Studios.” But how many legends can you think of who are known by a single name? Shakespeare, Caruso, Elvis, Cher, Madonna, Bono, Jesus...The list goes on, of course, and in the world of art and design it includes Leonardo, Daumier, Hopper, Warhol, Milton, Crumb...and Seymour.

Subversive. Personal. Obsessive. Radical. There is no mistaking the work of Seymour Chwast. As co-founder with Milton Glaser of Push Pin Studios, he led a revolution in graphic design producing bold, vibrant work that pushed the limits of nearly every visual medium—from posters, advertisements, book jackets, and magazine covers to album covers, product packaging, typography, and children’s books. His pioneering role as a designer, author, and activist continues to influence and inspire 21st-century designers.

And now, Seymour is celebrating his 85^th year with a book about war. At War with War visualizes humanity’s 5,000-year-long state of conflict, chaos, and violence on a continuous timeline. Thirty-five two-page spreads in stark black-and-white pen-and-ink drawings and woodcuts illustrate history’s most notorious battles. A man of few words, Seymour conceived the book as an illustrated timeline, with an introduction by Victor Navasky, former editor and publisher of The Nation. Info 

The book is edited by design writer, Steven Heller, who has made propaganda and satiric art a specialty. He writes, “His peaceful demeanor not withstanding, for almost seven decades Seymour Chwast has fought brush and nail on the front lines of what is decidedly an endless war against war. His frequent salvos of acerbic visual commentary against warfare are welcome alternatives to drum rolls and saber rattlings. His Vietnam era poster 'War Is Good Business Invest Your Son' was a peace movement mantra, and the acerbic 'End Bad Breath,' with bombs being dropped on Hanoi in Uncle Sam’s open mouth, is an icon of anti-war graphics in the tradition of artist/critics, including Felix Vallotton, Georg Grosz, Franz Masereel, who have published antiwar bombshells."

The two will meet the public next week in conversation at Seymour’s alma mater, The Cooper Union. Info So I contacted Seymour and Steve with just one question to each, as a warm-up:

DART: Why a book that goes to war with war now?  

Seymour: I produced my first book, A Book of Battles, almost 60 years ago. I guess the second book isn’t coming too soon. Unfortunately, the subject will never be outdated.

DART: Do you think a book that attempts to prove war futile/absurd/heinous can change minds?

Steve: It's not about changing minds, it’s about showing what’s in our minds. Seymour has been an unvacillating peace advocate since he was a child. This book reiterates how many people feel about the reality and the concept of warfare. Knowing that others also think this way gives hope. 

The Herb Lubalin Study Center presents: Seymour Chwast in conversation with Steve Heller: Designer as Author, activist, and Artist. Tuesday, May 24, 6:30 pm [doors: 6 pm]. The Frederick P. Rose Auditorium, 41 Cooper Square. Registration required 
The exhibition, Seymour Chwast on War, continues through June 4 at The Society of Illustrators.128 East 63^rd Street, NY, NY. Info

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