Massimo Vignelli.
a book of Massimo Vignelli modernist master
Biogra
aphy
by Karrisa Indraiasa
He is Massimo Vignelli.
Table of Content Biography Life
Career
Journey
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Art work Art
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The life of a designer is a life of fight against the ugliness.
Biography 0 1 B
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Life An Italian, Massimo was born in Milan in 1931. Vignelli studied architecture at the Politecnico di Milano and later at the Università di Architettura, Venice. From 1957 to 1960, he visited America on a fellowship, and returned to New York in 1966 to start the New York branch of a new company, Unimark International, 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 (which forced him to incorporate the eagle, Massimo was always quick to point out). Vignelli designed the iconic signage for the New York City Subway system during this period, and the 1970s–80s map of the system. Contrary to news reports, Vignelli did not design the Washington Metro Map, which was designed by Lance Wyman and Bill Cannan. Vignelli created the signage and wayfinding system for the DC Metro and suggested it be named “Metro” like many other capital city subways. Its original name was a mishmash of various states and transportation groups.
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In 1971, Vignelli resigned from Unimark, in part because the design vision which he supported became diluted as the company diversified and increasingly stressed marketing, rather than design. Soon after, Massimo and Lella Vignelli founded Vignelli Associates. Vignelli worked with filmmaker Gary Hustwit on the documentary Helvetica, about the typeface of the same name. Vignelli also updated his 1972 New York City Subway map for an online-only version implemented in 2011 and described as a “diagram�, not a map, to reflect its abstract design without surface-level features such as streets and parks. Vignelli equipped his own home with tables, chairs, lamps and other items that he designed himself. Vignelli died on May 27, 2014 in New York City.
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“Vignelli equipped his own home with tables, chairs, lamps and other items that he design himself � 6
If you do it right, it will last forever.
Career 0 2 C
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Journey Massimo Vignelli’s career is inseparable from that of his equally gifted wife, Lella Vignelli In 1960, together with his wife, he established the Vignelli Office of Design and Architecture in Milan. in 1971 they formed Vignelli Associates, and in 1978, Vignelli Designs. His work covers nearly every field of design including advertising, identity, packaging, product, industrial, interior and architectural design. An avid fan of modernism, his work is always very clear and concise with no clutter or unnecessary material. He has designed identities for international corporations including American Airlines (which is the only airline to have not changed their identity in the past 50 years), Bloomingdales and Knoll. He favors a clarity in design and is a huge fan of using Helvetica, which can be seen in much of his work.
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He has had work published all over the world and has several items in the permanent collections of various museums including the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Cooper-Hewitt Museum. Together with his wife he has established a legacy of design that lives on through their work and their continued practice at their office in New York.
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“Together with his wife he has established a legacy of design that lives on through their work� 14
One life is too short for doing everything.
Art works 0 3 A
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Art In addition to art direction, his work covers nearly every field of design including advertising, identity, packaging, product, industrial, interior and architectural design. An avid fan of modernism, his work is always very clear and concise with no clutter or unnecessary material. Vignelli also penned a book, titled Vignelli: From A to Z. The book details Vignelli’s ideas and vision with regard to graphic designing in the form of essays. The essays are organized in an alphabetical order as hinted in the title. In fact, they are based on somewhat the same course Vignelli gave lectures on while teaching at Harvard’s School of Design and Architecture. In 2009, Vignelli launched a free e-book, The Vignelli Canon,with the aim of passing on his legacy and treasure of knowledge on designing to young designers.
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“I think that it is my responsibility to make the work better than it is.”
“Design is a profession that takes care of everything around us,” Vignelli told Design Matters host Debbie Millman back in 2007. “Politicians take care of the nation and fix things — at least they are supposed to. Architects take care of buildings. Designers take care of everything around us. Everything that is around us, this table, this chair, this lamp, this pen has been designed. All of these things, everything has been designed by somebody.” “I think that it is my responsibility to make the work better than it is.”
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Art works
Poster, Designer's Saturday, 1973, 1973 offset lithograph on white wove paper. Gift of Lella and Massimo Vignelli. 2009-42-2 This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
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Brand poster by Massimo Vignelli, ca. 1970. Massimo Vignelli once described the Knoll assignment as “the most exciting, rewarding” of his professional career. Perhaps the greatest measure of the program’s success is the extent to which it continues to inform the company’s public identity to this day.
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Heller Rainbow Mugs (1974) Massimo Vignelli’s iconic dinnerware won the prestigious Compasso d’Oro Award in 1964 and, in 1971, became the first product made by a company called Heller
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The designof the subway map by Massimo Vignelli, published by the MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) between 1972 and 1979, has since become recognized in design circles as a modern classic; however, the MTA deemed the map flawed due to its placement of geofraphical elements.
New York City
Subway map 1972
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Logos
American Airlines, 1967
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Vignelli created something strikingly simple – two As, one red and one blue – to indicate the company’s gimmick-free professionalism. The client insisted that Vignelli incorporate a little more American symbolism, so he added the geometric, X-shaped eagle.
Bloomingdale’s, 1972 Changed from the curly script logo to the lower case bloom font with linked o’s seen today created the tagline, like no other store in the world
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Thank you.