This afternoon I had the great pleasure of listening to a living legend: the incorrigible Massimo Vignelli. He spoke at the Grace Street Theater in Richmond on his life and practice, most prominently the iconic work of Vignelli Associates.
I came away refreshed and newly inspired. He discussed his usual fare: long-term clients, limited typefaces, working on the grid, expansive range and the pursuit of timelessness. Something he knows a thing or two about.
“I see graphic design as the organization of information that is semantically correct, syntactically consistent and pragmatically understandable. I like it to be visually powerful, intellectually elegant, and above all timeless.”
Massimo Vignelli (1931…)
I was also at the talk and I was blown away with all of his philosophies and anecdotes. As a beginning graphic designer I respect his firmness in his client relationships and his apparent down-to-earth personality. Of his many ideas I wrote down these… (paraphrasing) “If you can’t find it, design it”, “We like complexity, but don’t like complications”, “Design by subtraction”, and finally, “Do what they need, not what they want”.
Thanks for the entry! (Found on RVABlogs.com)