Massimo Vignelli
Encyclopedia
Massimo Vignelli is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
) is a designer who has done work in a number of areas ranging from package design to furniture design to public signage to showroom design through Vignelli Associates, which he co-founded with his wife, Lella. He has said, "If you can design one thing, you can design everything," and this is reflected in his broad range of work.
Vignelli works firmly within the Modernist tradition, and focuses on simplicity through the use of basic geometric forms in all of his work.
Life
Vignelli was born in Milan in 1931. As a teenager, he became enthralled with design and befriended many of the great architects of his day. (He sometimes says his youth was spent as an "architecture groupieGroupie
A groupie is a person who seeks emotional and sexual intimacy with a musician or other celebrity. "Groupie" is derived from group in reference to a musical group, but the word is also used in a more general sense, especially in casual conversation....
.") He went on to study architecture at the Politecnico di Milano and later at the Università di Architettura, Venice
University Iuav of Venice
Iuav University of Venice is a university located in Venice, northern Italy. It was founded in 1926 and is organized in 3 faculties....
.
From 1957 to 1960, Vignelli visited America on a fellowship, and returned to New York in 1966 to start the New York branch of a new company, Unimark International
Unimark International
Unimark International was an American design firm founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1964 by seven designers: Ralph Eckerstrom, Massimo Vignelli, James Fogelman, Wally Gutches, Larry Klein, Robert Moldafsky and Bob Noorda. Unimark filed for final Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1977, and no longer exists...
, which quickly became, in scope and personnel, one of the largest design firms in the world. The firm went on to design many of the world's most recognizable corporate identities, including that of American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
(which forced him to incorporate the eagle, Massimo is always quick to point out). Vignelli designed the iconic signage for the New York City Subway
New York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
system during this period. Contrary to news reports and lore, Vignelli did not design the Washington, DC Metro Map, which was designed by Lance Wyman
Lance Wyman
Lance Wyman is an American graphic designer. He is known for such work as the logo of the 1968 Summer Olympic Games and the route map of the Washington Metro.-Life and career:...
. Vignelli designed the simple signage and wayfinding
Wayfinding
Wayfinding encompasses all of the ways in which people and animals orient themselves in physical space and navigate from place to place.-Historical:...
system for the DC Metro and was the one to suggest that it be named "Metro" like many other capital city subways. Its original name was a mishmash of various states and transportation groups.
In 1971, Massimo founded Vignelli Associates with his wife, Lella. He and his wife continue to work from their New York office.
Vignelli was involved with filmmaker Gary Hustwit
Gary Hustwit
Gary Hustwit is an independent filmmaker based in New York and London. He has produced and directed a number of documentaries including the 2007 film Helvetica.-Work:...
in the documentary Helvetica
Helvetica (film)
Helvetica is an independent feature-length documentary film about typography and graphic design, centered on the typeface of the same name. Directed by Gary Hustwit, it was released in 2007 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the typeface's introduction in 1957 and is considered the first of...
, about the typeface of the same name
Helvetica
Helvetica is a widely used sans-serif typeface developed in 1957 by Swiss typeface designer Max Miedinger with Eduard Hoffmann.-Visual distinctive characteristics:Characteristics of this typeface are:lower case:square dot over the letter i....
. Vignelli also recently updated his 1972 New York City subway map.
Work
Massimo Vignelli has worked in a wide variety of areas, including interior design, environmental design, package design, graphic design, furniture design, and product design. His clients at Vignelli Associates have included high-profile companies such as IBM, Knoll, Bloomingdale's and American Airlines.Vignelli participated in the Stock Exchange of Visions
Stock Exchange of Visions
The Stock Exchange of Visions is a project initiated in 2006 by Fabrica, Benetton's research center. It gathers visionaries from diverse nationalities and cultures, who hail from a wide range of specialties, to provide insight into their vision for the future....
project in 2007, as well as publishing the book, Vignelli: From A to Z, which contains a series of essays describing the principles and concepts behind "all good design". It is alphabetically organized by topic, roughly approximating a similar course he has taught at Harvard's School of Design and Architecture.
In January 2009, Vignelli released The Vignelli Canon as a free e-book; an expanded version was printed in September 2010, but the original remains available for download on the Vignelli Associates website. In the introduction Vignelli writes, "I thought that it might be useful to pass some of my professional knowledge around, with the hope of improving [young designers'] design skills. Creativity needs the support of knowledge to be able to perform at its best."
Vignelli Center for Design Studies
Massimo and Lella Vignelli agreed to donate the entire archive of their design work in 2008 to the Rochester Institute of TechnologyRochester Institute of Technology
The Rochester Institute of Technology is a private university, located within the town of Henrietta in metropolitan Rochester, New York, United States...
, near Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
. The archive will be exhibited in a new building designed by Lella and Massimo Vignelli, to be known as The Vignelli Center For Design Studies. The building, which opened in September 2010, includes among its many offerings exhibition spaces, classrooms, and offices.
“The Vignelli Center for Design Studies will house our comprehensive archive of graphic design, furniture and objects,” said Vignelli. “Under the direction of R. Roger Remington, the Vignelli Distinguished Professor of Design at RIT, the center will foster studies related to Modernist design with programs and exhibitions on our work as well as other related subjects. The first one of its kind and size, The Vignelli Center will position RIT on the international forefront of design studies. Lella and I are delighted to see our dream taking shape.”
Awards
- 1964 - Gran Premio Triennale di Milano.
- 1964 - 1998 Compasso d’Oro, from (ADI), Italian Association for Industrial Design.
- 1973 - Industrial Arts Medal of the American Institute of ArchitectsAmerican Institute of ArchitectsThe American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
(AIA). - 1982 - New York Art Directors Club Hall of Fame.
- 1982 - Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts from Parsons School of Design, New York
- 1983 - AIGAAiga‘Aiga is a word in the Samoan language which means 'family.' The aiga is the family unit of Samoan society and differs from the Western sense in that it consists more than just a mother, father and children. The Samoan family, also referred to as an 'extended family' is based on the culture's...
Gold Medal. - 1985 - first Presidential Design Award, presented by President Ronald Reagan, for the National Park Service Publications Program.
- 1987 - Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts from Pratt InstitutePratt InstitutePratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
, Brooklyn, New York - 1988 - Interior Design Hall of Fame.
- 1988 - Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts from Rhode Island School of DesignRhode Island School of DesignRhode Island School of Design is a fine arts and design college located in Providence, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1877. Located at the base of College Hill, the RISD campus is contiguous with the Brown University campus. The two institutions share social, academic, and community resources and...
, Providence, Rhode Island - 1991 - National Arts ClubNational Arts ClubThe National Arts Club is a private club in Gramercy Park, New York City, New York, USA. It was founded in 1898 to "stimulate, foster, and promote public interest in the arts and to educate the American people in the fine arts". Since 1906 the organization has occupied the Samuel J...
Gold Medal for Design. - 1992 - Interior Product Designers Fellowship of Excellence.
- 1993 - New York State Governor’s Award for Excellence
- 1994 - Honorary Doctorate in Architecture from the University of VeniceUniversity of VeniceCa' Foscari University is a university in Venice, northern Italy. It was founded in 1868 as the first Italian business college. The main building of the University, Ca’ Foscari Palace, is placed in a strategic position on the bend of the Grand Canal, in the heart of the city...
, Italy - 1994 - Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts from Corcoran School of Art, Washington D.C.
- 1995 - Brooklyn Museum Design Award for Lifetime Achievement.
- 1996 - Honorary Royal Designer for Industry Award, Royal Society of ArtsRoyal Society of ArtsThe Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce is a British multi-disciplinary institution, based in London. The name Royal Society of Arts is frequently used for brevity...
, London. - 2000 - Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts from Art Center College of DesignArt Center College of DesignArt Center College of Design is a private college located in Pasadena, California, and was cited by BusinessWeek as one of the 60 best design schools in the world. The college’s industrial design program is consistently ranked number one by both DesignIntelligence and U.S...
, Pasadena, California - 2002 - Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts from Rochester Institute of TechnologyRochester Institute of TechnologyThe Rochester Institute of Technology is a private university, located within the town of Henrietta in metropolitan Rochester, New York, United States...
, Rochester, New York - 2003 - National Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Museum of Design at Cooper-Hewitt, New York.
- 2004 - Visionary Award from the Museum of Art and Design, New York.
- 2005 - Architecture Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, NY.
External links
- Vignelli Associates
- Awards at Vignelli Associates
- Stock Exchange Of Visions: Visions of Massimo Vignelli (Video Interviews)
- Unimark
- Recent articles on Vignelli, Interior Design magazine
- Designweek profile
- AIGA.com feature
- Designobserver post on Vignelli's New York Subway map
- 5/21/06 designboom interview with Massimo
- Art Directors Club biography, portrait and images of work
- Vignelli's limited edition updated subway map for Men's Vogue
- Photo at 2008 National Design Awards in New York, NY
- An Interview with Massimo Vignelli (Published in Grafik Magazine, No. 181, 2009)