CultureWorks’ Spring Graphic Design class visited the Herman Miller Archives to gather inspiration.
Because of the increasing relevance of graphic design in an image-driven world, we decided to offer Graphic Design this past Spring, taught by our Program Assistant Suzy Parker. CultureWorks had not offered Graphic Design since 2019, and we were excited to see what connections students made between the world around them and the images they construct.
While brainstorming the class, the Herman Miller Picnic posters came up in conversation. Designed by Steve Frykholm, these posters are striking images of close up food designed for the annual Herman Miller Picnics for 45 years. For context: Herman Miller has thrown a summer picnic for employees each year since 1945, beginning with the company founder, D. J. De Pree. As the company grew, so did the picnic, and one of the first jobs assigned to the company’s first in-house graphic designer, Steve Frykholm, was to design that year’s picnic poster when he arrived in 1970.
The event became particularly iconic with the rise of Frykholm’s boldy-colored screen printed posters. These works remain regarded as a design staple in Herman Miller’s history and graphic design at large, having exhibited around the world and many landing in the permanent collection at the MoMA. Being so close to MillerKnoll (formerly Herman Miller), we wanted to take advantage of proximity and connect students with the firm. We were able to connect with MillerKnoll archivists Alexa Hagen and Amy Auscherman who walked us through some of the highlights of Herman Miller’s history including early advertising, Alexander Girard’s textiles, and -you guessed it- the Frykholm picnic posters.
This served as preparation for their own delicious poster project, during which students created their own prints of foods they thought would be visually compelling. Using the Pochoir method of printing, the result was delightful: from Sushi to Gummy Worms to French Fries to a full breakfast spread, the subjects were far from picnic food in a beautiful way. Though different in subject matter, the work captured the playful spirit of Frykholm’s work with bold shapes, striking compositions, and bright colors.
Initially after our field trip to the archives, we asked students, “What were your thoughts?” It was quiet for a minute or so as they all process what they’d just experienced. Finally, one student simply said, “YES,” while the others empathically nodded in agreement.
We think it’s safe to say they soaked it up.
A special thank you to Alison Lechner, Miller Knoll Associate Marketing Content Specialist, and the archivists for the visit to Miller Knoll.
