of vignelli associates
massimo vignelli, born in milan, he studied architecture in milan and venice. he travelled to the united states from 1957 to 1960 on fellowships from towle silversmiths in massachusetts and the institute of design, illinois institute of technology, chicago. in 1960, with lella vignelli, he established the vignelli office of design and architecture in milan. in 1965, massimo vignelli became co-founder and design director of unimark international corporation. with lella vignelli, he established the offices of vignelli associates in 1971, and vignelli designs in 1978. his work includes graphic and corporate identity programs, publication designs, architectural graphics, and exhibition, interior, furniture, and consumer product designs for many leading american and european companies and institutions. vignelli has had his work exhibited and entered in the permanent collections of several museums; notably, the museum of modern art, the metropolitan museum of art, the brooklyn museum, and the cooper-hewitt museum in new york. he has has taught and lectured on design in the united states and abroad. he is a past president of the alliance graphique internationale (AGl) and the american institute of graphic arts (AlGA), a vice president of the architectural league, and a member of the industrial designers society of america (IDSA). the head office of vignelli associates is located in new york
what is the best moment of the day?
when I go to bed with a feeling of some accomplishment.
what kind of music do you listen to at the moment?
baroque, most of the time.
do you listen to the radio?
all day long, a classical station, or my iPod.
what books do you have on your bedside table?
any book that I started on an airplane.
do you read design magazines?
yes many, abitare, domus, architectural record, A+U, eye
and more.
where do you get news from?
TV and new york times
do you notice how women are dressing?
absolutely. it tells me everything about the person.
what kind of clothes do you avoid wearing
anything trendy, fancy...
do you have any pets?
no. I would love to, but I travel too much.
when you were a child, did you want
to become a designer / architect?
since I was 14 years old I had no other desire
where do you work on your designs and projects?
at my desk, no matter where it happens to be.
who would you like to design something for?
to do the vatican corporate identity program,
I would keep the symbol but change everything else...
which project has given you the most satisfaction?
national parks service graphic program or any other
one of great impact, that we have done trough the years.
do you discuss your work with
other architects and designers?
yes I love to, we share experiences, fees, results.
describe your style, like a good
friend of yours would describe it.
spare, essential, intellectually elegant, strong, timeless
(at least I hope! )
can you describe an evolution in
your work from your first projects
to the present day?
my work has been pretty much consistent,
from the beginning, but I think it has undergone a
continuos refinement, to become more and more essential.
do you think today there is the proliferation
of the decorative without a real social significance,
decoration in absense of common values, ...
pretty superficial?
yes, and I hate it. it’s so shallow.
is there any designer and/or architect from the past,
you appreciate a lot?
palladio, joseph hoffmann, mies van der rohe, louis kahn...
and those still working?
richard meier, tadao ando, and a few others.
any advice for the young ?
learn from the past, think of the present, dream of the future.
what are you afraid of regarding the future?
global pollution, explosion of vulgarity, and social irresponsibility.\
"I don't think that type should be expressive at all. I can write the word 'dog' with any typeface and it doesn't have to look like a dog. But there are people that [think that] when they write 'dog' it should bark."
— Massimo Vignelli
"The life of a designer is a life of fight: fight against the ugliness.Just like a doctor fights against disease. For us, the visual disease is what we have around, and what we try to do is cure it somehow with design. "
"If you can design one thing, you can design everything."
— Massimo Vignelli
There is no design without discipline, and there is no discipline without intelligence.
About Kathy McCoy
Katherine McCoy co-chaired Cranbrook Academy of Art's Design Department for 24 years, and was a Senior Lecturer at Illinois Institute of Technology's Institute of Design and a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Royal College of Art. Katherine is a Medallist of the American Institute of Graphic Arts, an elected member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale, and holds an Honorary Doctorate from Kansas City Art Institute. She is a Fellow and past president of the Industrial Designers Society of America, past president of the American Center for Design, and served as an AIGA national vice president.
Jointly with Michael McCoy, she received the Industrial Designers Society of America Education Award and the Society of Typographic Arts Educator Award. They were jointly awarded a Chrysler Award for Innovation in Design, and in 2005 the first Design Minds Award by the Smithsonian Museum's National Design Awards. Her communications design practice focuses on cultural, educational and environmental clients. She writes frequently on design criticism and history, co-produced a television documentary on Japanese design, and chaired the first ACD Living Surfaces Conference. She currently collaborates with her husband Michael on High Ground professional education studio conferences, workshops and the annual High Ground Design Conversation.
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