When graphic designer Steve Frykholm joined Herman Miller as its first in-house designer in 1970, he was immediately tasked with creating a poster for the company summer picnic—and boy did he overachieve.
Over two decades, Frykholm would translate this seemingly unglamorous assignment into 20 strikingly vibrant posters animating all the joys of the season (Watermelon! Lemonade! Ice cream!), some of which have made it into the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
But, get this: recently, the one that started it all, the now-iconic Sweet Corn poster depicting a blown-up pair of teeth chowing down on a cob of corn, went back into production, and, as of today, will be available exclusively at SHOP Cooper Hewitt, the store at the newly-revamped design museum in NYC.
The poster, pressed at a limited quantity of 500 prints, was produced last year by Continent in Sparta, Michigan, the same company that screenprinted all of the 20 original Summer Picnic Posters. In an interview over on the Herman Miller website, Frykholm says reprinting the first picnic poster "brought back a ton of memories on many levels; even the smell of the plant had not changed all that much."
Also, do check out Herman Miller's video interview with Frykholm below, in which the designer shares he's "most proud of the picnic posters." He says, "When you see all 20 on the wall, it looks nice!" We totally agree.
- Sweet Corn Picnic Poster [SHOP Cooper Hewitt]
- Herman Miller's Poster Child [Herman Miller]
- All Herman Miller coverage [Curbed]