Vignelli Center for Design Studies

04/03/2020

Designer to Designer

The first Friday of every month the National Archives throws an #ArchivesHashtagParty. This month the theme is #ArchivesPenPals.

The archives has many examples of the Massimo and Lella Vignellis’ correspondence with other designers. Here is a short note from designer and illustrator Milton Glaser who invited Massimo to talk to his class.

“Dear Massimo,

Thanks for coming to class. The students were thrilled as was I. Let’s continue the argument.″

Although we don’t have any other details about what transpired, we are very intrigued about what the argument was.

See other examples of correspondence from the archives: https://vignellicenter.tumblr.com/search/correspondence

Correspondence from Milton Glaser to Massimo Vignelli
Massimo and Lella Vignelli Papers
Vignelli Center for Design Studies
Rochester, New York

#vignelli #MiltonGlaser #correspondence #archiveshashtagparty #archivespenpals #design #DesignArchives #DesignHistory #letterhead #designertodesigner

04/03/2020

Designer to Designer

The first Friday of every month the National Archives throws an #ArchivesHashtagParty. This month the theme is #ArchivesPenPals.

The archives has many examples of the Massimo and Lella Vignellis’ correspondence with other designers. Here is a fun letter from textile designer Jack Lenor Larsen who was also a customer for the Vignelli clothing line.

“Massimo,

Please know that your clothes have many assets but, also, grave faults. Number one, they make the rest of one’s wardrobe obsolete as no one who’s worn Vignelli wants to get into anything else – it’s less comfortable and we don’t feel the ease and poise of moving effortlessly in your clothes.

Secondly, your clothes are not only envied by men, but coveted by women.

Lastly, is their engineering. They’re so beautifully tailored as to create the embarrassment of being told “you’re wearing them inside out” - how dreadful!

Jack

10 February 1992″

See other examples of correspondence from the archives:
https://vignellicenter.tumblr.com/search/correspondence

Correspondence from Jack Lenor Larsen to Massimo Vignelli, 1992
Massimo and Lella Vignelli Papers
Vignelli Center for Design Studies
Rochester, New York

#vignelli #JackLenorLarsen #correspondence #FashionDesign #1990s #design #DesignArchives #DesignHistory #letterhead #designertodesigner

04/03/2020

Retiring Remington leaves legacy of design

Retiring Remington leaves legacy of design

While he’ll soon step away from the day-to-day at the university to which he has dedicated nearly six decades, R. Roger Remington wants people to know, “I’m not going anywhere.” The Vignelli Distinguished Professor of Design and longest-serving faculty member at RIT will retire in May after ...

04/03/2020

Museo Bodoniano - Fondazione

BODONI 𝐼𝑁 𝑈𝑆𝐸

Doveva svolgersi questo mese, come ogni anno, l’edizione del Salone del Mobile.Milano, rinviata al 2021 per l'emergenza COVID-19.
Come Museo Bodoniano - Fondazione vogliamo rendere omaggio alla città di Milano e a tutta la Lombardia, in prima linea nella lotta contro questo nemico invisibile, condividendo il progetto di identità grafica di Massimo Vignelli e Dani Piderman, della Vignelli Associates per Cosmit, la società che ancora oggi organizza il Salone.
Il progetto del 1994, ha ricevuto nel 1998 il Premio Compasso d'Oro, maggiori dettagli qui:
☞ https://museobodoniano.it/bodoniinuse/cosmit

_________________________
This month, like every year, the edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano was to take place, postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 emergency.
As Museo Bodoniano - Fondazione we want to pay homage to the city of Milan and all of Lombardia, at the forefront of the fight against this invisible enemy, sharing the graphic identity project of Massimo Vignelli and Dani Piderman, of Vignelli Associates for Cosmit, the company that still today he organizes the Salone. The 1994 project received the Premio Compasso d'Oro in 1998, more details here:
☞ https://museobodoniano.com/bodoniinuse/aaa

_________________________
#museobodoniano #parma2020 #bodoni
Vignelli Center for Design Studies Salone del Mobile.Milano
ADI Design Museum Premio Compasso d'Oro
Città metropolitana di Milano Regione Lombardia

04/02/2020

In 1964, this Vignelli-designed stacking dishware set won a Compasso D’oro Award for Good Design. It was originally manufactured in Italy by Arpe. In 1970, Heller Inc. brought the design to the US with the Max1 stacking set and a couple years later with the infamous rainbow stacking sets.

Massimo Vignelli also did some graphic design for the Compasso D’oro award in 1962.

Enjoy these recently discovered vintage images of the original set by Arpe and graphics for the Compasso D’Oro.

Photographs of Arpe stacking set
Massimo and Lella Vignelli Papers
Vignelli Center for Design Studies
Rochester, New York

Photographs of graphics for 1962 Compasso D’Oro
Massimo and Lella Vignelli Papers
Vignelli Center for Design Studies
Rochester, New York

Arpe stacking set [partial set in green and yellow]
Massimo and Lella Vignelli Papers
Vignelli Center for Design Studies
Rochester, New York

Heller Max 1 and rainbow stacking dishware catalog pages [front and back]
Massimo and Lella Vignelli Papers
Vignelli Center for Design Studies
Rochester, New York

#vignelli #design #DesignArchives #1960s #transparencies #IndustrialDesign #GraphicDesign #stacking #dishware #plastic #CompassoDoro #Heller #DesignIsOne #modernism

03/30/2020

It’s #ManualsMonday! After a brief hiatus, we’re back! Nearly every Monday we feature an excerpt from a graphics standards manual from the archives.

Today’s post is a Manuals Monday themed special edition! Vehicle graphics. Often companies have their own vehicles: delivery vans, trucks, corporate cars, buses, and even trains. Scroll through to see a variety of examples from Unimark International. We’ll share more standards manuals and more themed special editions in the future!

Although the archives are closed to visitors now due to Covid-19, we are still happy to try to answer your research questions remotely. Stay safe!

Featured projects:
Mondi Valley Paper Company, South Africa, 1967
Huletts (Sugar), South Africa, c. 1960s
Wickes Corporation, United States, 1970
Birra Dreher, Italy, 1966
Ford Motor Company, United States, 1969
Truman Beers, United Kingdom, 1972
Regional Transportation of Denver (RTD), United States, c. 1970s
Volvo, Sweden, 1974
Wortz Cracker & Cookies, United States, c. 1970s
Halle’s Department Store, United States, 1967

#Unimark #1960s #1970s #DesignArchives #Design #DesignHistory #StandardsManual #VehicleGraphics #archives #modernism

03/09/2020

We are very sorry to announce that this event has been cancelled due to the evolving COVID-19 situation.

We are gratified to see all the interest in this topic and plan to reschedule in the future. Thanks for your understanding and stay tuned.

02/12/2020

Archives by Design: Preserving the Work of Designers

3/11/2020
SVA Theatre

The School of Visual Arts is hosting a unique evening symposium exploring the best practices in developing and growing archives dedicated to the process and products of graphic design and illustration.

Please join Vignelli Center for Design Studies
Archivist, Jennifer Whitlock, along with
Interference Archive
School of Visual Arts Glaser Archives
Letterform Archive
The Herb Lubalin Study Center of Design and Typography
Newschool Archives
DB Dowd Modern Graphic History Library, Washington University Libraries

Moderated by Steven Heller The Daily Heller and Beth Kleber School of Visual Arts Glaser Archives

We will examine what makes design archives unique. What is their value and to whom? How do archives decide what should be preserved? Who uses the collections and how?
This event is for archivists, curators, designers, researchers, scholars, critics and anyone interested in the preservation and accessibility of artifacts of design history.

Symposium is free but pre-registration is required.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/archives-by-design-preserving-the-work-of-designers-tickets-89287430107

#DesignArchives
#DesignHistory
#GraphicDesign
#archives #preservation
#FreeSnacks

RIT College of Art and Design Rochester Institute of Technology RIT Cary Graphic Arts Collection RIT Graphic Design RIT College of Liberal Arts RIT Libraries RIT Archive Collections

02/05/2020

RIT College of Art and Design

Thanks to the amazing Gary Hustwit for a great talk last night about his career as a filmmaker (Helvetica, Rams and more)! His 2013 photos of Massimo and Lella Vignelli were also publicly exhibited for the first time. The events were part of the Vignelli Center for Design Studies's ongoing 10th anniversary celebration, and the photos will be on view until April 15.

📸: Jesse Wolfe

02/04/2020

Tonight! Design Conversations: Gary Hustwit!

Plus Vignelli: Photographs exhibition opening and book signing!

Tuesday, February 4, 2020
4:45 PM-8:00 PM
James E. Booth Hall
University Gallery (second floor)
Free and open to the public!

Gary Hustwit, an American independent filmmaker and photographer, is delivering a presentation as part of the Vignelli Center for Design Studies' Design Conversations lecture series. His lecture will focus on his documentation of significant designers, specifically Massimo Vignelli, a subject of his newest book, Vignelli: Photographs. The book is a showcase of Hustwit's 2013 photographs from a one-day visit with Massimo and Lella Vignelli in their home studio.

The talk is scheduled for 4:45 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4, in University Gallery (Booth Hall, second floor). Afterward, a reception and exhibit of Hustwit's Vignelli: Photographs book will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Vignelli Center's third-floor Benetton Gallery. It's the first public exhibit of Hustwit's photographic record of his day with the Vignellis. The publication will be available for sale and signing at the event.

Also during Hustwit's time on campus, RIT will screen his documentary on German industrial designer Dieter Rams, a retired academic closely associated with the consumer products company Braun, furniture company Vitsoe and the functionalist school of industrial design. The showing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 5, in University Gallery.

02/03/2020

Join us tomorrow for our next Design Conversations lecture with Gary Huswit!

Tuesday, February 4, 2020
4:45 PM-8:00 PM
James E. Booth Hall
University Gallery (second floor)
Free and open to the public!

Afterward, a reception and exhibit of Hustwit's Vignelli: Photographs book will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Vignelli Center's third-floor Benetton Gallery. It's the first public exhibit of Hustwit's photographic record of his day with the Vignellis. The publication will be available for sale and signing at the event.

Also during Hustwit's time on campus, RIT will screen his documentary on German industrial designer Dieter Rams, a retired academic closely associated with the consumer products company Braun, furniture company Vitsoe and the functionalist school of industrial design. The showing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 5, in University Gallery.

https://events.rit.edu/vignelli-lecture

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Vignelli Center for Design Studies, a most appropriate guest will be here this week for a series of special events: renowned filmmaker and photographer Gary Hustwit!

Programming includes a lecture, the first public exhibit of Hustwit's photographic record of a day with the Vignellis and a screening of his new documentary on German designer Dieter Rams. Full details: https://bddy.me/2OpcYYe

01/28/2020

Please join us for our next Design Conversations lecture with Gary Hustwit!

Tuesday, February 4, 2020
4:45 PM-8:00 PM
James E. Booth Hall
University Gallery (second floor)
Free and open to the public!

Gary Hustwit, an American independent filmmaker and photographer, is delivering a presentation as part of the Vignelli Center for Design Studies' Design Conversations lecture series. His lecture will focus on his documentation of significant designers, specifically Massimo Vignelli, a subject of his newest book, Vignelli: Photographs. The book is a showcase of Hustwit's 2013 photographs from a one-day visit with Massimo and Lella Vignelli in their home studio.

The talk is scheduled for 4:45 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4, in University Gallery (Booth Hall, second floor). Afterward, a reception and exhibit of Hustwit's Vignelli: Photographs book will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Vignelli Center's third-floor Benetton Gallery. It's the first public exhibit of Hustwit's photographic record of his day with the Vignellis. The publication will be available for sale and signing at the event.

Also during Hustwit's time on campus, RIT will screen his documentary on German industrial designer Dieter Rams, a retired academic closely associated with the consumer products company Braun, furniture company Vitsoe and the functionalist school of industrial design. The showing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 5, in University Gallery.

Friends in upstate New York, join me at the Vignelli Center for Design Studies at RIT in Rochester for a talk and the first public exhibit of my photographs of the late designers Massimo and Lella Vignelli. Next Tuesday, February 4th. Talk at 4:45, book signing and reception at 6pm. If you can't make it, the book is available for purchase on my site. Cheers!

https://events.rit.edu/vignelli-lecture
.
#vignelli #vignelliphotographs #massimovignelli #lellavignelli #vignellicenter #graphicdesign #design #typography #fonts #modernism #moderndesign #garyhustwit #photography #photobook #photographybook #designvignelli #designisone

01/27/2020

RIT College of Art and Design

RIT students learned about European avant-garde typography and letterpress printing technology during a workshop run by Vignelli Center for Design Studies director R. Roger Remington and Amelia Hugill-Fontanel, RIT Cary Graphic Arts Collection associate curator.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Vignelli Center, and it is celebrating with different programming through its Design Observations series and Design Conversations lectures.

📸: A. Sue Weisler

01/10/2020

solari lineadesign

#timeless

Today we celebrate the birthday of Massimo Vignelli
Milan - January 10, 1931

The font of the digits of Cifra 3 and Dator 60 is a custom Helvetica, specifically modified by Vignelli itself for Solari, to improve the visibility of the numbers.

#massimovignelli #vignelli #helvetica #solariudine #solarilineadesign #font #helvetica #cifra3 #dator60 #curiosity

12/31/2019

Here's our #topnine for 2019. #manualsmonday was still very popular, but a few non-manuals posts made the cut this year! We had 56,845 likes.

Thank you for all your support!

Happy New Year!

#designarchives #Vignelli #design #archives #standardsmanual #unimark #designhistory #modernism #thankful #howwillwetopthis
#weareblushing

12/23/2019

If you celebrated Christmas in the 1960s-1970s, you might have purchased a Christmas tree from Emerald Christmas Trees, a subsidiary of Great Western United (formerly Great Western Sugar Company). The Denver office of Unimark International landed the Great Western account and created graphics for their various divisions.

Here are some of the digitized vintage 35mm slides from the archives featuring the logo for Emerald Christmas trees, as well as a sales brochure for Christmas tree sellers. The brochure features a calendar which looks very similar to the famous Vignelli-designed Stendig calendar.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our posts about the various designs that Unimark International created for Great Western united.

We wish you all a fantastic holiday season!

#Unimark #GreatWesternUnited #1960s #NotJustSugar #ChristmasTrees #35mmSlides

12/23/2019

Unimark International designed the graphics and packaging for sugar maker, Great Western United, and, with the help of Lella and Massimo Vignelli, also designed their office interiors.

The Vignellis worked with Charles Sink of the Unimark Denver office to design the space and furnish it, including sofas and chairs from their own Poltronova Saratoga furniture line.

Stay tuned as we highlight some of the other designs Unimark created for Great Western!

#vignelli #Unimark #GreatWestern #InteriorDesign #OfficeDesign #1960s #Poltronova #Saratoga #DesignArchives #design

12/23/2019

Great Western United, a Colorado sugar maker, also had a restaurant division and Unimark International designed the graphics.

They owned the Shakey’s pizza chain, and this restaurant, The Prime Time. This “steak, cocktails, dinner only” restaurant might have been a great place to take your friends and family visiting for the holidays. We’re not sure if it ever existed. If you know anything about this place, we would love to hear from you!

Stay tuned as we highlight some of the other designs Unimark did for Great Western!

#unimark #GreatWestern #GraphicDesign #DesignArchives #design #archives #holidays #restaurants #1960s #DinnerOnly #NotJustSugar