Overview
Lella and Massimo Vignelli: Two Lives, One Vision is a portrait of two important twentieth-century designers whose careers intertwined since the 1950s. The Vignellis promote a modernist philosophy of designing for a better society: resourceful use of space and materials, clear communication, lasting quality, and logical functionality.
Through a mix of archival research and personal interviews with Lella, Massimo, and their many colleagues and clients, Jan Conradi documents the Vignellis’ nuanced approach to “cleaning up” an often chaotic and messy society by adhering to a minimalist and structured design method.
The Vignellis’ lifetime commitment to a world of design is marked by vibrant client relationships and unwavering attention to detail. With wit, grace, focus, and finesse, the Vignellis’ sustained pattern of working and living has influenced, and continues to inspire, generations of designers worldwide.
About the Author
Jan Conradi is a Professor of Graphic Design at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, where she teaches typography and design history. She is the author of Unimark International: The Design of Business and the Business of Design and a member of the AIGA.
Details
Publisher: RIT Press (06/2014)
ISBN-13: 978-1-939125-07-1
Binding: Softcover
Pages: 176
Illustrations: 74 illustrations, some color
Size: 6 x 9 in.
Shipping Weight: 0.5lb
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Table of Contents
vii Photos: Five Decades of Vignelli Design
1 Foreword by Deyan Sudjic
4 Preface
6 Acknowledgments
10 The Vignellis: An Introduction
14 Chapter 1: Foundation: Growing Up in Italy
Lella and Massimo Meet
Expanding Horizons, Crossing Oceans
30 Chapter 2: 1965: Unimark International
The Vignellis Move to New York
Lella and Unimark
Massimo at Unimark
Unimark: Turmoil and Trouble
46 Chapter 3: 1971: The Rise of Vignelli Associates
The Office Expands: Return to East 62nd Street
Vignelli Kids: Luca and Valentina
The Other “Vignelli Kids”
68 Chapter 4: The Showcase Office: Tenth Avenue
Fashion History According to Massimo
Transition Again: The End of Tenth Avenue
Saying Goodbyes
84 Chapter 5: Working from Home: East 67th Street
94 Chapter 6: Design Advocacy
The Fight against Ugliness
112 Chapter 7: Students, Teaching, and Learning
The Vignelli Center for Design Studies
120 Chapter 8: A Lifetime, and No Regrets
128 Notes
134 Photos: A Vignelli History
148 Afterword
150 Appendix: Vignelli Awards and Accolades
153 Index