In this blog post, I will be examining a booklet by Massimo Vignelli, who is well-known in the world of graphic design. The publication is called the Vignelli Canon, and it is meant to share his knowledge so that other designers may benefit. I will be reflecting on my thoughts of the booklet.
Massimo Vignelli was one of the most influential modernist designers of the 20th century. When he created this booklet, it was intended to share the principles that guided his work across graphic design, product design, architecture, and more. It covers two main secions, and each section can be broken down into their own elements.
The Intangible: The philosophical and conceptual foundations of design.
- Semantics: the study of meaning in language (in this case design), exploring how words, phrases, sentences, and texts convey meaning and how this meaning changes with context and usage.
- Design must communicate meaning. I like how Vignelli insists that designers should understand the essence of what their designing. As a studio art major, I agree with this. Having a developed understanidng of the purpose, context, and audience its indended for gives the entire design meaning.
- Syntactics: the structure and rules that govern design elements. While siscussing this, Vignelly calls out a method I’ve already used in design projects. Using grids! They are meant to create order and consistency, and I agree with him somewhat in this case as he believes structure liberates creativity. I think too much sructure and rules can stifle it, but there are structured methods that are helpful in various creative outlets.
- Pragmatics: Design must be functional, according to Vignelli. He says it should serve the user and the message essentially, and warns against superficiality. He doesnt want any design work that distracts from its own usibility. When a design is meant to be functional, I agree with this as well, but some designs simply don’t need to consider function.
The Tangible: The practical tools and techniques designers use to execute their vision.
- Typography: Apparently, Vignelli was famously strict about type. He believed using a minimal set of typefaces was best, and often used only 6 throughout his career. He says that mystery comes from deep familiarity instead of endless cariety.
- Once again, I only slightly agree with this as my mindset lies in a space where typography should change with the intention of the design.
- Grids: Like mentioned in intagible design, they are also tangible, and vital to Vignellis design system. He truly believed they provide rythm, consistenct, and harmony. I agree…to an extent.
- Color: This is one of the more important things covered in the booklets, as most people like to go a little overboard with color in design. Vignelli believed a limited palette with black, white, and a specific hue is better. He advises that color should support the message being sent by the design, and now overpower it. Once again I think this is true, but bright, crazy vibrancy does have its place in certain design messages.
Overall, the booklet I read exemplifies how Vignelli saw design as a moral responsibility. He believed that designers share the visual languafe of society, and that there was a great duty to elevate thought instead of degrade it. He criticized the “visual pollution” of bad design and urges designers to be excellent. I do think some of his advice and methods were a bit strict or harsh, though. There are many designs in which his standards maybe are not the best practices, but as a designer, it is a good idea to trust other designers.
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