Vignelli Center for Design Studies

01/13/2021

Poster Design Contest | Moving Forward: Suffrage Past, Present and Future | RIT

RIT Students,

Moving Forward Committee Poster Design Contest
Winning Submission will receive $300
Submission Deadline is February 15, 2021

The Moving Forward Committee was established to celebrate and honor the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment and the 200th birthday of Susan B. Anthony.

The committee is looking for a poster design to be used in the promotion of future Moving Forward events. Individual students or teams of 2 are eligible to participate.

Further details and entry criteria? Visit https://www.rit.edu/votingrights/poster-design-contest.

The Moving Forward: Suffrage Past, Present, and Future Initiative was established to celebrate and honor the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment (1920) and the 200th birthday of Susan B. Anthony (February 15, 1820). Goal of the initiative is to acknowledge the history of voti...

01/05/2021

Please help Saint Peter’s Church!

Saint Peter's Church in New York City was designed by Lella and Massimo Vignelli in 1977. One of their most beloved and comprehensive projects. Saint Peter’s Church received Landmark status from the City of New York Landmarks Preservation Commission in 2016.

Saint Peter’s Church in NYC needs your help. A city water main break flooded the sanctuary and the basement levels of the church over the weekend. They are working with crews to clean up and are assessing the damage. Please visit saintpeters.org for updates and to help fund their flood relief efforts. https://www.saintpeters.org/news/water-main-break

Saint Peter's Church is located at the base of the Citicorp Tower which was designed by architect Hugh Stubbins. The Vignellis designed the interiors, the furnishings, the organ, the pews and their cushions, the Church's graphic identity, and all the silver objects used for religious services. The space and the furniture were designed to be modular and flexible. Pews and the altar can be rearranged based on the needs of the Church. The original design of the Church has been maintained since it opened in 1977 and is one of the few Vignelli-designed interiors still intact.

See more about Saint Peter’s Church from the archives:

https://artsandculture.google.com/search?q=vignelli%20saint%20peter

https://vignellicenter.tumblr.com/search/saint+peter

https://www.instagram.com/p/1gkxSyqoG6/

https://www.instagram.com/p/1iyesmqoDq/

#Vignelli #SaintPetersChurch #1970s #landmarks #Modernism

12/04/2020

Shop One - RIT Global Village

Who do we revere and represent in our family of designers? Lella and Massimo Vignelli designed the Kyoto set of melamine dishes in 1979 for Casigliani, the iconic Italian design manufacturer. The Vignelli’s concept was to make a “clean pile of dirty dishes” at the end of a meal. All leftovers and flatware slide into the deep dish, one plate on top of the other, covered by a small dish at the top of the pile, and left on the table.

Massimo and Lella donated the last available new/old Casigliani dishes in their original boxes, made in Italy in 1979, to the Vignelli Center for Design Studies at Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY. Shop One at RIT is the sole and exclusive source to purchase this iconic design. Funds raised support the guest designer speaker series to further the commitment to excellence in design education via Vignelli Center for Design Studies at RIT.

Exclusively available in shop and online - dish sets in three colors:
https://www.rit.edu/fa/shopone/artist/massimo-vignelli-0

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 585-475-2335

#vignelli #lellavignelli #massimovignelli #casigliani #kyotodishware #design #womenindesign #dishware #modernist #ritshopone #ritshoponeonline #ritmade #rittigers

RIT College of Art and Design RIT/NTID Vignelli Center for Design Studies

12/03/2020

In 1972, Unimark International designed a concept ahead of its time. OfficeAway provided all the conveniences of an office while traveling. Imagined as a full-service office space in airports which provided a desk, phone, copier, and even staplers to the business traveler. Each office unit complete unit a Herman Miller upholstered shell chair designed by Ray and Charles Eames. Need to conduct a meeting while on the road? OfficeAway had you covered with conference rooms.

Enjoy scrolling through these images of the architectural models, graphics, and, of course, the actual OfficeAway test site at St. Louis Airport. Do we spy the Vignelli-designed NavaDesign Max 365 perpetual calendar in red along the wall in that model?

Jan Conradi in her book “Unimark International: The Design of Business and the Business of Design” writes:

“OfficeAway, Unimark’s design for private business offices in airports, was another idea ahead of its time. The first units were installed in St. Louis to apparent success, but it was years before private, efficient work areas for business travelers became common fixtures in airports.”

If you know more details about this project, we would love to hear from you!

#Unimark #DesignArchives #1970s #DesignHistory #Design #InteriorDesign #BusinessTravel #offices

12/02/2020

In 1970, Lella Vignelli, along with her husband Massimo, designed a group of glass bakeware for Heller Inc. Although they receive joint credit, in “Design By: Lella Vignelli,” Massimo writes “Lella’s knowledge of cooking was critical in deciding which products to be designed and how they should develop.” The clever features of this bakeware are credited to Lella.

Heller brochures promoted the ability of this glass bakeware not only to function well in the oven but to also look great for serving at the table. “Function and beauty can come together”

“Striations around the sides give the glass a sophisticated look–elegant enough for any table. The continuous rim around the top is practical for easy handling, and acts as a frame for the food within.”

One ad in Home Furnishings Daily compares it to another famous bakeware:
“We are not Pyrex. We are Heller. Our micro/ovenware does everything their's does. The difference is design. Heller/The alternative."

Various pieces available:
1-, 2-, & 3-quart casserole
deep loaf/paté pan
9 oz. ramekin (set of 4)
2.5-quart lasagne dish
8” square cake/bake Dish
9” pie plate
oval bake dish

Although this line of bakeware is no longer in production, you can frequently find vintage pieces on your favorite auction website or local thrift store.

Stay tuned as we’ll be highlighting more of Lella Vignelli’s work from the archives on future #WomenCrushWednesday!

You can see more of Lella’s work in “Designed by: Lella Vignelli” a free PDF book available to read and download on our website: https://www.rit.edu/vignellicenter/

And also in our new digital archives: https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/vignelli-center

#Vignelli #LellaVignelli #Heller #DesignArchives #design #modernism #FormFollowsFunction #ProductDesign #baking #1970s #DesigningWomen #WomenInDesign #DesignHistory

12/01/2020

Watch now on Design Milk: The final Vignelli Center for Design Studies lecture of the semester featuring USC School of Architecture Dean Milton S.F. Curry!

Watch: Milton S.F. Curry “Paul R. Williams and the Legacy of Black Aesthetics” [VIDEO] http://dlvr.it/RmnKVM

11/18/2020

This comfy lounge chair was designed by Lella Vignelli. Although officially marketed as a joint effort with her and her husband/partner, Massimo Vignelli, along with longtime collaborator, David Law.

In Massimo’s book, Designed by: Lella Vignelli, he had this to say:
“This easy chair and sofa, designed by Lella, are a response to the hard-edged Saratoga sofa designed many years before. Here, soft edges offer some visual comfort missing on the previous design.”

The chair was ultimately named Circolo [circle in Italian] and produced by Sunar. But we can see from the archives the name Capricorn was considered and they even considered a square version.

Stay tuned as we’ll be highlighting more of Lella Vignelli’s work from the archives on future #WomenCrushWednesday!

You can see more of Lella’s work in “Designed by: Lella Vignelli” a free PDF book available to read and download on our website: https://www.rit.edu/vignellicenter/

And also in our new digital archives: https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/vignelli-center

The hard-edged Saratoga sofa: https://artsandculture.google.com/search?q=vignelli%20saratoga

Circolo Collection for Sunar, 1979
Massimo and Lella Vignelli papers
Vignelli Center for Design Studies
Rochester, New York

#vignelli #LellaVignelli #design #DesignArchives #DesignHistory #DesigningWomen #WomenInDesign #1970s #FurnitureDesign #chairs

11/17/2020

RIT College of Art and Design

TOMORROW: the final Vignelli Center for Design Studies virtual lecture of the semester, featuring designer, scholar and USC School of Architecture Dean Milton S.F. Curry! Register here: https://bit.ly/368SoDn

11/12/2020

RIT College of Art and Design

RIT College of Art and Design

Milton S.F. Curry, dean of USC School of Architecture, is delivering a Vignelli Center for Design Studies online lecture next week. Don't miss his talk, "Paul R. Williams and the Legacy of Black Aesthetics."

11/03/2020

Happy election day!

A big day here in the USA: presidential election day!

We’re highlighting this poster of the Statue of Liberty for the National Park Service. This poster is part of our updated poster display in our galleries. For those of you who can’t make it in person, here’s a closer look!

Massimo Vignelli designed this poster for the National Park Service in 1986 for a special Statue of Liberty celebration on the 100th anniversary of its dedication.

The poster follows the same Unigrid format which was designed by Vignelli in 1977 for NPS publications and is still is use today. The photo was taken by Peter Turner, an alum of the Rochester Institute of Technology’s RIT School of Photographic Arts and Sciences. The Unigrid won the Presidential Design Award in 1985.

Text on poster:
“A gift of the French people, this colossal statue at the portal to the New World embodies man’s ceaseless quest for freedom and dignity.

In its century of vigil, it has greeted millions of the oppressed and the venturous and is known around the world as the very symbol of America.”

Read more about this poster and zoom in the digital archives on Google Arts & Culture: https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/liberty-libert%C3%A9-vignelli-massimo/rwG3OPRS7BVJDA

National Park Service Statute of Liberty poster, 1986
Massimo and Lella Vignelli papers
Vignelli Center for Design Studies
Rochester, New York

National Park Service Statute of Liberty mechanical mockup on board
13 7/16" x 10 3/8"(image) on 19 7/16″ x 16 1/2″ board
Portfolio N1, Massimo and Lella Vignelli papers
Vignelli Center for Design Studies
Rochester, New York

National Park Service Unigrid brochure, 1985
Box 148, Massimo and Lella Vignelli papers
Vignelli Center for Design Studies
Rochester, New York

National Park Service White House brochure, 1990
Box 148, Massimo and Lella Vignelli papers
Vignelli Center for Design Studies
Rochester, New York

#Vignelli #MassimoVignelli #NationalParkService #StatueOfLiberty #posters #DesignArchives #DesignHistory #Unigrid #GalleryGuide #election #Vote #1980s #RITAlumni #design #pink

RIT College of Art and Design

11/02/2020

It’s Manuals Monday! Every (almost) Monday we feature an excerpt from a graphics standards manual from the archives.

With the US Presidential election tomorrow, we thought we would share some design for the US Federal Government. Today’s featured manual is for the US Fish and Wildlife Service. This Graphics Standards Manual for Publications was designed by Massimo Vignelli and Rebecca Rose of Vignelli Associates in 1995.

Vignelli Associates was no stranger to doing design for the USA government. The well-known National Park Service Unigrid program won the US Presidential Design Award in 1985. Massimo Vignelli also wrote a guide “Grids: Their Meaning and Use for Federal Designers” which gave a fresh look to government publications.

See more federal designs from the archives: https://vignellicenter.tumblr.com/search/national+park and https://vignellicenter.tumblr.com/search/federal

#Vignelli #GraphicDesign #DesignArchvies #DesignHistory #PublicDesign #government #election #vote #wildlife #USFishAndWildlifeService #ManualsMonday #GraphicStandardsManuals

10/30/2020

A spooky Bloomingdale's #Vignelli shopping bag remix from our pals across the Rochester Institute of Technology campus. I wonder how that Bloomingtype "g" tastes?

The little brown bag (and its typeface) were part of graphic identity created by Vignelli in 1972 for the department store's 100th anniversary.

#DesignArchives #ConnectingCollections

Happy Halloween! Here is a Bloomingdale's Halloween "little brown bag" from the Scott Patnode Shopping Bag collection of approximately 1,000 shopping bags. Link to the finding aid in the comments.

10/29/2020

Happy #NationalCatDay!

Unimark International designed a variety of pet food packaging in 1977. Using humorous illustrations of cats rather than photography and simply calling it “My Cat.” Scroll through to see a research image of other cat food packaging from the same time for comparison.

Who designed it? Was it ever produced? Although we don’t know much about this project, we thought it a fitting tribute to our feline friends!

[There are also “My Dog” boxes too, but that’s a different National Day.]

More cats in the archives: https://vignellicenter.tumblr.com/search/cats

#Unimark #DesignArchives #design #DesignHistory #cats #CatFood #1970s

10/29/2020

In September, Natalie Nixon kicked off our Design Conversations lecture series and our partnership with Design Milk. Now hear from a creative strategist on "Staying Buoyant in Troubled Times." Natalie tackles some great questions from Design Archives as inspiration to work/life balance. And don't miss the sunny yellow Vignelli-designed Heller Inc. mug!

RIT College of Art and Design

DMTV Milkshake: Natalie Nixon on Staying Buoyant in Troubled Times https://bit.ly/31MCDkj

10/29/2020

RIT College of Art and Design

RIT College of Art and Design

Noel Mayo's career is defined by original designs, including the first slide dimmer for Lutron Electronics. Learn the stories behind his innovation during this Vignelli Center for Design Studies lecture, presented by Design Milk: https://bit.ly/2HFy3gA

10/22/2020

Rochester Institute of Technology

Rochester Institute of Technology

The Vignelli Center joined Google Arts & Culture as a partner to share its archives in a virtual space. The goldmine of gems that resides in RIT’s Vignelli Center for Design Studies is now widely available with the recent launch of its digital archives. https://bddy.me/31yUE5p

10/21/2020

From RIT College of Art and Design:
From reimagining the light switch to creating the country's first in-line deposit/withdrawal system for banks, Noel Mayo has enjoyed a pioneering design career. See for yourself in Design Milk's rebroadcast of his Vignelli Center for Design Studies lecture!

Watch: RIT Design Conversations – A Life of Firsts: Noel Mayo [VIDEO] http://dlvr.it/RjzxpR

10/20/2020

We've partnered with Design Milk to rebroadcast our Design Conversations lecture series! Watch "A Life of Firsts" with renown designer Noel Mayo!

Watch: RIT Design Conversations – A Life of Firsts: Noel Mayo [VIDEO] http://dlvr.it/RjzxpR

10/20/2020

Curbed

Read more about the brand new NYC Subway map! Watch the short film by Gary Hustwit about this "labor of love" by Work & Co.

Taking the Vignelli map into the 21st century using the best of both worlds: Modernism plus geography!

It’s so thoroughly up-to-the-moment that you can watch individual trains move around the system on your phone.

10/16/2020

Unimark International designed graphics and packaging for Chicago-based Enterprise Paints’ Magicolor line of paint and related products circa late 1960s/early 1970s.

Enterprise paints sold to Valspar in 1987 which joined the Sherwin-Williams group in 2017.

Scroll through to see these vintage 35mm slides of cans of paint, spray cans, paint brushes, displays, stationery, and even vehicle graphics.

Do you know more about this project? We would love to hear from you!
#Unimark #DesignArchives #Design #GraphicDesign #packaging #EnterprisePaints #Magicolor #1960s #1970s #DesignHistory #fbf #Helvetica

10/14/2020

RIT College of Art and Design

Tonight! The Vignelli Center for Design Studies presents an online conversation with Noel Mayo, whose distinguished career as a designer and educator spans more than five decades. Free registration: rit.edu/events/vignelli-center-lecture-noel-mayo

10/14/2020

This travertine marble cube was designed by Lella Vignelli in 1986 and playfully named “Mouse Palace.” Although not literally meant to be a palace for mice, it could be a fun accessory for your home or office. Measuring at 42 cm (16.5 inches) it could hold your cocktails or just be a work of art. What would you use it for?

Stay tuned as we’ll be highlighting more of Lella Vignelli’s work from the archives on future #WomenCrushWednesday!

You can see more of Lella’s work in “Designed by: Lella Vignelli” a free PDF book available to read and download on our website: https://www.rit.edu/vignellicenter/

And also in our new digital archives:
https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/vignelli-center

Mouse Palace for Casigliani by Lella Vignelli
Massimo and Lella Vignelli papers
Vignelli Center for Design Studies
Rochester, New York

#vignelli #LellaVignelli #casigliani #ProductDesign #DesignArchives #DesignHistory #WomenCrushWednesday #1980s #DesigningWomen #WomenInDesign #PlayfulModernism