Massimo Vignelli

http://www.vignelli.com

Background HistoryMassimo Vignelli was born in Milan, Italy in January 1931.

Throughout his childhood he was fascinated by all types of design

and went on to study architecture in Milan and Venice from 1950-1953. Massimo started out his

career working as a designer at Venini Glass in Venice. He married Lella Valle in 1957 and Massimo

and his wife went the United States on fellowships soon after.

Massimo taught at the Illinois Institute of Technology and worked as a designer at the

Container Corporation of America. The Vignellis returned to Milan in

1960 where they opened an office for design and architecture. Massimo Vignelli started to

become an established designer in the earlier years of his career, but it wasn’t until he and his wife

returned to the U.S. in the mid 1960s that he truly made a mark

in the design industry.

http://idsgn.org/posts/design-love-vignelli-associates/

Unimark International

In 1966, Massimo and Lella Vignelli went to New York

where Massimo became one of the founding members of the

Unimark International Corporation. The company became one of the biggest

design forms in the world with many recognizable clients

including American Airlines, Ford Motor Company, and J.C. Penny. After about five years, Massimo left the firm and he

and his wife opened their own office, Vignelli Associates.

http://ffffound.com/image/0a3cc5ad1113d136cf5327679ca294ef8cb90f0b

Vignelli Associates Vignelli currently works at

Vignelli Associates In New York along with his wife. The firm has

become a very successful business with many high profile

clients including IBM, Knoll, Bloomingdale’s, and American

Airlines.

http://kingygraphicmasters.blogspot.ca/2011/02/justine-barratt-massimo-vignelli.html

http://www.vignelli.com/home/interior/vignelli6.html

Vignelli Associates offers a variety of products in many design concentrations.

http://www.vignelli.com

Poster Design

Architectural Design

Book And Magazine DesignFurniture Design Product Design

Transportation GraphicsInterior Design Packaging Design

Cleto Munari Tea Set Poltronova Vignelli Design

New York Subway TransitWorld Trade Center: Amsterdam

USA Bicentennial

Vignelli AssociatesBloomingdale’s

Modernism

http://vignelli.com/home/poster/knoll.html

• Works firmly with modernist tradition and focuses on simplicity through the use of basic geometric forms.

• Function is evident in Massimo’s designs as it determines and informs the form of the project.

• Massimo Vignelli is a well known Modernist.

Other Work of Vignelli

Massimo also presents lectures at universities throughout the U.S. and abroad.

Books: 

Vignelli: From A to Z - contains a series

of essays describing the principles and

concepts of design.

 “The Vignelli Canon”

– free e-book that covers and

explains concepts and

rules of design.

In 2009, Massimo and Lella Vignelli donated an archive of design work to the Rochester Institute of Technology where

the archive is exhibited in a new building, designed by the Vignellis, known as the

Vignelli Center for Design Studies. 

Relevance

I have become very fascinated with Massimo Vignelli and his work. I really enjoy his use of modernism and the simplicity of his designs.

Something that I strive for in my work is to use a simple form of geometric shapes along with a clear message that is clear and easily understandable. I am also very fascinated with the fact that Massimo

has experience with such a broad spectrum of design forms. After seeing his portfolio, I will now strive to expand my portfolio in terms of variety

and continue to develop designs using modernism.

This poster design by Massimo Vignelli is one piece that I really enjoy. With the obvious modernism and great choice of colors the overall appearance is very creative and clear. I like how the letters of the title

overlap and how the information about the company is in smaller print. This makes the overall piece very eye catching, while presenting the necessary information

as well.

http://www.historygraphicdesign.com/index.php/the-age-of-information/the-new-york-school/492-massimo-vignelli

The artwork designs for American Airlines is well known around the world. In my opinion, Massimo Vignelli did a

great job with the design. He kept it traditionally modernized and simple with a very eye catching design. I also like how Massimo used the national colors of America allowing it to not only look good overall, but have a sense of patriotism. I like how he kept it simple and to the point,

yet made it eye catching enough for someone to remember the logo and design after just one look.

http://www.vignelli.com/home/identity/aa.html

One thing that I really enjoy about Massimo Vignelli is the variety of designs that he creates. His furniture designs are very modern, just like his other designs, and they offer a very unique look. I really like this piece of furniture with the

geometric shaping and the built in storage. I also really like how the furniture set fits together

naturally and love the overall look of Vignelli’s design.

http://vignelli.com/home/furniture/poltronova.html

Massimo Vignelli expresses a simplicity in all of his designs that

is really appealing. In Vignelli’s book, Vignelli From A to Z, he

continues to use the modernism and simple way of presenting his artwork. The cover is very simple, yet with the contrasting colors of black and white it makes it very eye catching as it presents its purpose and message in a very clear way. Vignelli strives for

simple, yet bold designs and this piece definitely expresses the

traditions of all of his other work.

Massimo Vignelli

“If you can design one thing, you can design anything” -Massimo

Vignelli

Vignelli Associates (2013) Retrieved from Vignelli Associate’s Official Website: http://www.vignelli.com/home.html

Justine Barratt (February 28, 2011)Retrieved from Kingy Graphic Masters Website:http://kingygraphicmasters.blogspot.ca/2011/02/justine-barratt-massimo-vignelli.html

Eye Magazine (2013)Retrieved from Eye Magazine’s website:http://www.eyemagazine.com/feature/article/reputations-massimo-

vignelli

Sources: