Massimo Vignelli is a well known designer that has made a huge impact on modernism in design. Some of the most well known clients of Massimo Vignelli are American Airlines, Bloomingdales, and Knoll International. Massimo currently works at Vignelli Associates in New York and has been considered to be one of the most influential designers of the 20th century.

1. http://www.vignelli.com

2. Background History
Massimo 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/

3. 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

4. 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

5. Vignelli Associates offers a variety of products in many design concentrations.
http://www.vignelli.com
Poster Design
Architectural Design
Book And Magazine
DesignFurniture DesignProduct Design
Transportation Graphics Interior Design Packaging Design
Cleto Munari Tea Set Poltronova Vignelli Design
New York Subway Transit
World Trade Center:
Amsterdam
USA Bicentennial
Vignelli Associates
Bloomingdale’s

6. Modernism
http://vignelli.com/home/poster/knoll.htm
l
• 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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.

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

14. 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: