graphic designer massimo vignelli has died aged 83
designboom says goodbye with a look at the life works of the italian graphic designer massimo vignelli.
graphic designer massimo vignelli has died aged 83
the italian graphic designer massimo vignelli, passed away tuesday morning the 27th of may, 2014; he was 83. vignelli was one of the field’s true greats and had become synonymous with modern graphic design.
his identities for international brands undeniably shaped how the world looks today. vignelli‘s iconic wayfinding system for new york’s subway means his presence will continue to be felt, in what had become his home city, for much more time to come.
massimo vignelli, born in milan in 1931, studied architecture in milan and venice. he and his wife lella, both designers, first ran a successful design firm in milan, before moving to new york in 1966 to start a US branch of unimark international. in 1971, they founded vignelli associates where they worked together on graphic and industrial design projects. much of vignelli’s work saw him bring visual order to chaos and making things ‘beautiful’ as he explained…
‘the life of a designer is a life of fight: fight against ugliness. I think that it is my responsibility to make the work better than it is. that is my number one priority. the second priority is to decrease the amount of vulgarity around by replacing the vulgarity with things that are more refined. my life is a continual struggle, a continuous battle against vulgarity taking over.’ – massimo vignelli
trailer for kathy brew & roberto guerra’s documentary about massimo vignelli and his wife lella
among the many talented designers to work at vignelli associates was pentagram partner michael beirut, who has written a touching piece about his mentor and friend »
here is our interview with massimo from 2006 »
wayfinding system for new york subway, 1972
section of vignelli’s diagrammatic map for new york subway, 1972
united colors of benetton identity, 1995
american airlines identity, 1967
stendig calendar, 1967
interview with debbie millman from 2012
