Giustini / Stagetti

Massimo Vignelli was born in Milan on January 10, 1931.

He began his studies at the Politecnico of his hometown, then moved to Venice, where he graduated in Architecture from the IUAV University.

In 1953, during his time in Venice, he was invited by Paolo Venini to collaborate with the historic Murano glassworks, initially in the lighting sector. For Venini, he designed a series of lamps inspired by Nordic design but characterised by vibrant Murano colours, marked by bold colored bands. In addition to lighting, he also created tableware and household objects. Many of his glass creations were featured in the pages of Domus magazine.

In 1957, he ended his collaboration with Venini and moved to the United States, where he married Elena Valle in the same year, later known as Lella Vignelli. After some professional experiences, he briefly returned to Italy in 1960 and, together with his wife, founded his first design studio in Milan, which was active until 1964. That year, he returned permanently to the USA and co-founded Unimark International, which was destined for international success. From this period comes the famous New York subway map, known for its geometric abstraction and formal clarity, although initially controversial.

In 1971, after leaving Unimark, he founded Vignelli Associates in New York, once again together with Lella.

Over the course of his long career, Vignelli collaborated with some of the most important Italian and international companies. In addition to Venini, he worked in the design sector with Poltrona Frau, Poltronova, and Knoll, for which he also redesigned the logo. As a graphic designer, he curated the visual identity and advertising campaigns for Pirelli, Olivetti, Ford, American Airlines, Lancia, TG2 Rai, Benetton, Sisley, Ducati, and Ferrovie dello Stato.

Massimo Vignelli died in New York on May 27, 2014.