In celebration of the release of this year’s Picnic Poster — and in honor of the annual employee picnics that the posters promoted — Herman Miller’s flagship store at 251 Park Avenue South will host Picnic on Park during NYCxDESIGN on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, May 21-23, 12 pm – 2 pm EST. Visitors will experience a summer picnic, Herman Miller-style, courtesy of a bespoke hot dog cart; receive a copy of its just-launched Ideas magazine in a collectible tote with this year’s picnic poster on it (available in limited quantities); and get a first look at the 2024 reissue from Herman Miller’s iconic Summer Picnic poster series.
In 1970, Herman Miller hired its first in-house graphic designer fresh out of Cranbrook Academy of Art, Steve Frykholm. Over Frykholm’s 45-year career, his role expanded to Vice President of Creative Design, and included countless awards and achievements. For 20 consecutive years, one of the projects he expressed being most proud of is designing Herman Miller’s picnic posters. Each year brought a new design challenge in the form of a picnic theme inspired by quintessential American summer potluck menu items. The colorful artwork grew to become as highly anticipated a tradition as the picnic itself and has made its way into permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and many other museums worldwide.
This year’s poster is the third in the Picnic Poster series to be offered by the brand as a limited-run reprint. Posters previously selected include Sweet Corn Picnic Poster (1970), released in 2021, and Watermelon Picnic Poster (1971) in 2023.
The Picnic Poster series released from 1970 to 1989 brought joy to Herman Miller employees and represents a well-loved company culture and tradition. Originally, Frykholm created the designs for invitations and other promotional materials. The program took off quickly, with posters made available exclusively to Herman Miller employees.
Inspired by a thought-leader-style publication of the same name that Herman Miller published between 1978 and 1982, Ideas magazine considers Herman Miller today by examining ideas set in motion throughout the company’s history and highlighting emerging ideas. Copies will be available during NYCxDESIGN at Herman Miller’s flagship store at 251 Park Avenue South.
