Lella Vignelli

Lella Vignelli
Vignelli in 2010
Born
Elena Valle

August 13, 1934
Udine, Italy
DiedDecember 22, 2016(2016-12-22) (aged 82)
New York City, US
NationalityItalian, American
Alma materUniversità Iuav di Venezia, Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Architecture
Occupation(s)Architect
Designer
Businesswoman
Known forCo-founder of Vignelli Associates and Unimark International
SpouseMassimo Vignelli
AwardsPresidential Design Award
National Design Award
National Arts Club Gold Medal
AIGA Gold Medal
Honorary Doctorate, Parsons School of Design
Honorary Doctorate, Corcoran School of Art

Lella Vignelli (born Elena Valle; August 13, 1934 – December 22, 2016) was an Italian architect, designer, and businesswomen. She collaborated closely throughout much of her life with her husband Massimo Vignelli, with whom she founded Vignelli Associates in 1971.[1]

She was known for the "spare, elegant style" of her architectural and industrial design work, as well as her management skills and entrepreneurial expertise.[2]

Early life and education

Lella Vignelli was born in Udine, Italy. She was the daughter of the architect Provino Valle [it], and the sister of Gino Valle [it] and Nani Valle, both also architects.[3] She married Massimo Vignelli in 1957.[4][5] She received a degree in architecture from the Università IUAV di Venezia, followed in 1958 by a funded fellowship as a scholar at the MIT School of Architecture. In 1962, she became a registered architect in Milan.[6]

Work and career

In the mid-1950s, Lella Vignelli's professional concentration was interior, furniture, and product design.[7] She was also involved in the formation of the ADI (Associazione per il Disegno Industriale), an Italian professional design organization.[7]

In 1959, she joined architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in Chicago as a junior interior designer. The following year the Vignellis established the Massimo and Lella Vignelli Office of Design and Architecture in Milan. Lella specialized in interior architecture, furniture, exhibition, and product design.[8][9]

She was one of the founders of the corporate design consultancy Unimark International, along with Massimo, Bob Noorda, and Ralph Eckerstrom.[7][10] At Unimark, Lella Vignelli served as the head of the interior design department in Milan beginning in 1965, and later in New York.[11]

Some of the Vignellis' notable designs from this period are their brand identity commissions for clients such as Knoll International, for which they led a comprehensive review of the company's visual presence starting in 1965; the graphic identity and logo of American Airlines, designed in 1967; as well the design of as a collection of melamine plastic stacking dinnerware for Articoli Plastici Elettrici (later marketed in America by Heller).[7][12] The design was awarded the Compasso d'Oro in 1964,[13] and was still in production and sold as Vignelli Stacking Dinnerware in 2023, nearly 60 years after it was first introduced.[13][14][15][16][17]

In 1971, the Vignellis established Vignelli Associates and opened offices in New York, Paris, and Milan.[11][18][19] As Vignelli Associates, their work included corporate identity design alongside publication, exhibition, furniture, product, jewellery, and clothing design.[7][20] Lella focussed on the three-dimensional design work of the practice, and also served as Executive Vice President and later Chief Executive Officer.[11]

The firm's commissions included corporate identity programmes for Bloomingdale's department store in 1972, Lancia automobiles in 1978, and Ducati motorcycles in 1992, as well as the signage system for the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in 1997.[7] Vignelli Associates was commissioned to design the graphic identity, signage systems, and subway map for the New York City Subway in 1972. The design was based on "abstract simplicity"[21] with all of the subway lines indicated using straight, vertical, horizontal, or diagonal lines arranged at either 45 or 90 degree angles. Each subway line is indicated using a unique color, while the stops are designated with a simple black dot. This color-scheme is repeated on the corresponding colored circular icons on the signage throughout the subway system, platforms, and trains.[21][22] That map was met with some criticism for being difficult to understand, although it has been described as "a cult phenomenon for generations of graphic designers".[23]

In 1978, the Vignellis founded Vignelli Designs, a separate company which focused on product and furniture design, and for which Lella served as president.[11] Their furniture designs included the Handkerchief chair for Knoll (1985); the Serenissimo table (1985) for Italian manufacturer Acerbis;[24] and the Magic coffee table (1990) for Acerbis's lower-priced Morphos label.[7][25] Other Vignelli designs have included retail layouts for Artemide, jewelry for Cleto Munari, and glassware for Venini and Steuben Glass Works.[7]

LelIa Vignelli also collaborated closely with the architect Denise Scott Brown, and was a frequent speaker and juror for national and international design organizations.[26] She was a member of the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), the International Furnishings and Designer Association (IFDA), and the Decorators Club of New York.

Recognition and legacy

Lella and Massimo Vignelli were described as "iconic, impossibly exotic characters" in New York Magazine.[21] In 1982, they were both awarded the AIGA Gold Medal for their achievements and contributions to design. The AIGA described their design output together as "prodigious in quantity, far-ranging in media and scope and consistent in excellence."[27]

Collections holding examples of Vignelli's work include those of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York,[28] the Pompidou Centre in Paris,[29] and the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London.[30]

Lella Vignelli died in her home in Manhattan on December 22, 2016, at age 82 from dementia.[2][27][31]

Vignelli Center for Design Studies

Vignelli Center for Design Studies, Rochester Institute of Technology

In 2008 Massimo and Lella Vignelli agreed to donate the entire archive of their design work to the Rochester Institute of Technology, near Rochester, New York. The archive, which contains c. 500,000 items including "sketches, prototypes, models, technical plans, correspondence, contracts, mechanicals, photographs, material samples, videos, and digital files" is held in a new building, designed by the Vignellis, called The Vignelli Center for Design Studies, which opened in September 2010.[32] As well as display, storage, and conservation facilities for the archives, the Vignelli Center includes exhibition spaces, meeting rooms, classrooms, and offices.[10][33][34]

Awards

Lella and Massimo's work has been recognized by a range of international awards and prizes.

Corporate identity programs

Product design

Packaging

Transportation graphics

Quotations

If you can't find it, design it.

— Lella and Massimo Vignelli[22]

If you do it right, it will last forever. It's as simple as that.

— Lella Vignelli[22]

I learned an enormous amount from Massimo about how to be a good designer. But I learned how to be a successful designer from Lella.

— Michael Bierut[23]

Publications

  • Celant, Germano; Constantine, Mildred; McFadden, David Revere; Rykwert, Joseph (1990). design: Vignelli (essays) (1st. ed.). New York: Rizzoli. ISBN 9780847811403. OCLC 20854336.
  • Vignelli, Lella; Vignelli, Massimo (2004). Design is One. Mulgrave, Victoria: Images Publishing Group Pty Ltd. ISBN 978-1920744526. OCLC 56575570.
  • Vignelli, Massimo (2007). Vignelli from A to Z. (1st. ed.). Mulgrave, Victoria: Images Publishing Group Pty Ltd. ISBN 978-1-86470-176-0. OCLC 148864804.
  • Vignelli, Massimo (2010). The Vignelli Canon. Baden: Lars Müller. ISBN 9783037782255. OCLC 630456781.
  • Bouabana, Samira; Tillman Sperandio, Angela (2013). Hall of Femmes: Lella Vignelli. Stockholm: Hall of Femmes. ISBN 978-91-978827-4-3. OCLC 839912875.[44]
  • Conradi, Jan (2014). Lella and Massimo Vignelli: two lives, one vision. Rochester, New York: RIT Press. ISBN 978-1-939125-07-1. OCLC 879469527.
  • Vignelli, Massimo (2014). Designed by: Lella Vignelli[45]
  • Hustwit, Gary (2019). Vignelli (1st. ed.). Film First. ISBN 9781734140804. OCLC 1145643926.

References

  1. ^ Quito, Anne (23 December 2016). "A legendary husband-and-wife design team fought to get her equal credit for 40 years". Quartz. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  2. ^ a b Grimes, William (28 December 2016). "Lella Vignelli, a Designer With a Spare, Elegant Style, Dies at 82". The New York Times (published 30 December 2016). pp. A.17. ISSN 0362-4331. ProQuest 1854027525. Archived from the original on 4 June 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  3. ^ Colombo, Alessandro (14 December 2022). "Nani Valle e Giorgio Bellavitis, che coppia!" [Nani Valle and Giorgio Bellavitis, what a couple!]. Giornale dell'Architettura (in Italian). Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  4. ^ Teichman, Susan (6 January 2017). "Lella Vignelli: A Look at a Design Legend". Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  5. ^ "Morta a New York la designer friulana Lella Vignelli, sorella di Gino Valle" [Friulian designer Lella Vignelli, sister of Gino Valle, has died in New York]. UdineToday (in Italian). 28 December 2016. Archived from the original on 4 June 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  6. ^ "Lella Vignelli". RIT Libraries. Rochester Institute of Technology. Archived from the original on 16 August 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Woodham, Jonathan M. (2004). A Dictionary of Modern Design (1st ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 443. ISBN 9780192800978. OCLC 56799035. OL 2715898W – via Internet Archive.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Musillo, Alessia (22 March 2021). "The Story of Love Between Massimo and Lella Vignelli Was a Steep Slope of Success and Happiness". ELLE Decor. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  9. ^ Vit, Armin; Gomez Palacio, Bryony (2009). Graphic Design, Referenced: A Visual Guide to the Language, Applications, and History of Graphic Design. Beverly, MA: Rockport Publishers. p. 160. ISBN 9781592534470. OCLC 255890556 – via Google Books.
  10. ^ a b Conradi, Jan (18 September 2010). "Looking Back, Thinking Forward: A Narrative of the Vignellis". Design Observer. Archived from the original on 26 September 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  11. ^ a b c d "Vignelli Legacy". Vignelli Center for Design Studies. Rochester Institute of Technology. Archived from the original on 4 October 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  12. ^ "Remembering Massimo Vignelli". Knoll. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  13. ^ a b c "Description: Set of stacking dishes..." British Museum. Archived from the original on 5 June 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024. The range won the Compasso d'Oro prize in 1964, see https://www.adi-design.org/compasso-d-oro.html
  14. ^ a b "Massimo Vignelli, Lella Vignelli. Stacking Dinnerware. 1964". Museum of Modern Art. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  15. ^ "Stacking Dinnerware (Set of 32 pieces) - c. 1971". Art Institute of Chicago. 1971. Archived from the original on 19 March 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  16. ^ "Hellerware Dishes Exemplify 1960s Tableware Design". The Plastics Collection. Syracuse University Libraries. Archived from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  17. ^ Williamson, Caroline (17 January 2023). "MoMA Design Store Resurrects Hellerware Rainbow Dinnerware". Design Milk. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  18. ^ Ockman, Joan (1981). Design--Vignelli. New York: Rizzoli. p. 5. ISBN 0-8478-0373-2. OCLC 8032590.
  19. ^ "Lella e Massimo Vignelli Designers | PAC". Padiglione d'Arte Contemporanea (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  20. ^ "Greater Goods: Lella Vignelli Judaica". The Jewish Museum. 19 May 2020. Archived from the original on 5 June 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2023 – via Medium.
  21. ^ a b c Lovine, Julie V. (18 October 2007). "The Vignellis: In an instant, their pared-down designs—for the subway, Bloomingdale's, American Airlines—conjure a particular moment in the city's history". New York. Archived from the original on 9 October 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
  22. ^ a b c d e Colman, David (29 October 2007). "Design Revolutionaries". New York. Archived from the original on 26 January 2008. Retrieved 17 June 2016. Fabien Baron, Mario Buatta, Santiago Calatrava, Joe D'urso, Jack Lenor Larsen, Martha Stewart, Massimo and Lella Vignelli, Eva Zeisel and twenty-five other New Yorkers who designed the world we live in
  23. ^ a b "Designer Biographies, Massimo Vignelli". Domus. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  24. ^ "Vignelli and the Venetian encaustic table". Domus. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  25. ^ "Massimo Vignelli, Lella Vignelli, David Law. Knoll Handkerchief Chair (1985)". Museum of Modern Art. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  26. ^ Kirkham, Pat; Chan, Yenna (2010). "Denise Scott Brown - Lella Vignelli". In Butler, Cornelia H.; Schwartz, Alexandra (eds.). Modern Women : Women Artists at the Museum of Modern Art. New York: Museum of Modern Art - Distributed by Distributed Art Publishers. pp. 266–269. ISBN 9780870707711. OCLC 501397424. OL 19636803W. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  27. ^ a b "1982 AIGA Medalist: Massimo and Lella Vignelli". AIGA Graphic Design. No. 4. Archived from the original on 2 October 2017. Retrieved 7 March 2021 – via American Institute of Graphic Arts.
  28. ^ "Artist: Lella Vignelli". Museum of Modern Art. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  29. ^ "Lella Vignelli". Centre Pompidou (in English and French). Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  30. ^ "Carafe - 1991 (made), 1971 (designed)". Victoria and Albert Museum. 1991. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  31. ^ Aouf, Rima Sabina (23 December 2016). "Pioneering designer Lella Vignelli dies aged 82". Dezeen. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  32. ^ "Vignelli Archives". Vignelli Center for Design Studies. Rochester Institute of Technology. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  33. ^ "About The Center". Vignelli Center for Design Studies. Rochester Institute of Technology. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  34. ^ Pogrebin, Robin (11 August 2010). "Designers Donate Their Archives". The New York Times (published 12 August 2010). pp. C.3. ProQuest 741736376. Archived from the original on 6 June 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  35. ^ "A.I.A. Awards". The New York Times. 25 March 1973. p. 8. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  36. ^ a b c "Vignellis to receive Lifetime Achievement Award at AD 20/21". Business of Home. 11 February 2011. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  37. ^ a b "Lella Vignelli: 1988 Hall of Fame Inductee". Interior Design. 1 June 2014. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  38. ^ "2003 National Design Award Winners". Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. 8 October 2019. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  39. ^ Hingmire, Eisha (9 September 2021). "Lella Vignelli: Ideology and Philosophy". Rethinking The Future. Archived from the original on 9 October 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  40. ^ "Awards – American Academy of Arts and Letters". American Academy of Arts and Letters. Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  41. ^ "Massimo and Lella Vignelli - 2011 President's Medal honorees". Architectural League of New York. 18 March 2011. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  42. ^ Shapiro, Ellen (28 May 2014). "Massimo Vignelli: Creator of Timeless Design and Fearless Critic of 'Junk'". Print. Archived from the original on 6 June 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  43. ^ "Handkerchief Chair, Vignelli Designs 1983". Knoll. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  44. ^ "25-Plus Books on Women in Design". Designers & Books. 15 March 2023 [8 October 2013]. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  45. ^ PrintMag (7 April 2014). "Lella Vignelli's Masterpieces". Print. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.

Further reading

  • Architectural Record, July, 1980, "Casa Vignelli: A Showcase of Modern Design," p. 104
  • Working Woman, May, 1980, "Success in the Bag," p. 14
  • New York Times, March 6, 1980, "The Vignelli Look in Furniture, Graphics and Interior Design," p. 10
  • New York Times, June 26, 1980, "It's Linen, Linen over All," p. 1
  • House & Garden, March, 1981, "Women in Architecture: Breaking New Ground," p. 146
  • Library Journal, December 15, 1981, review of Design—Vignelli
  • Architectural Record, July, 1982, "The Walls," p. 120
  • Vogue, November, 1984, "Lella Vignelli: A Taste for Perfection," p. 460
  • Metropolitan Home, May, 1985, "The Met Grill," p. 26
  • Restaurant and Hotel Design, September, 1987, "Design Programs That Do It All," p. 31
  • New York Times, April 7, 1988, "What's the Message? Good Design Starts at the Office Door," p. 1
  • Interior Design, December, 1988, "Hall of Fame '88," p. 133
  • Town & Country, September, 1988, "Arts in Residence," p. 233
  • Hospitality Design, September 1, 2003, "Accolades: I.M. Pei and Vignelli Associates," p. 28
  • Newsweek, April 19, 2004, "Design: Edge of Your Seat," p. 69
  • Design Week, April 20, 2006, "Profile: Massimo and Lella Vignelli," p. 13
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