As some of you may know, I am a SCAD graduate. And during my senior year at SCAD, I was able to meet and chat with the great Massimo Vignelli.

By Alana Dy

One would assume that a man who meticulously preaches strict design rules would have a matching personality. I was definitely surprised when I met Massimo. Aside being highly influential with almost every single word he says, he is definitely humorous and sociable. His dialogue consists of phrases full of wisdom, often interrupted with jokes before he continues.

Recently, The Architectural League awarded Massimo Vignelli and his wife Lella with its prestigious President’s Medal “in recognition of a body of work so influential in its breadth that it has shaped the very way we see the world.” The program for this event was designed by Michael Bierut, a former junior designer of Vignelli Associates, and includes five different covers, each featuring a different quote.

Massimo should be significant to all of us for the reason that many of his “isms” are essentially lessons to be learned in life. For example, in his book, The Vignelli Canon, he acknowledges the importance of three primary ideas: semantics, syntactics, and pragmatics.

Everything should be practiced with significance, with proper aesthetics, and with a purpose.

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