massimo vignelli

massimo vignelli of vignelli associates ................................................................................................................................................................................................................

massimo vignelli
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

http://www.vignelli.com

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designboom interviewed massimo vignelli on may 21st, 2006
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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.