#designisone

Day two: Happy 7th anniversary to us! 

Our dedication ceremony was held on September 16th, 2010. We’re celebrating the number seven all week. Each day we will feature seven artifacts from the archives from one of the seven decades of the Vignellis’ career!

Today we move to the 1960s! It was very hard to choose which projects to feature. In 1965, the Vignellis had arrived in the United States [again and for good] and were working for Unimark International, where Massimo Vignelli was one of the foundling partners. 

Stay tuned! Tomorrow we move on to the 1970s.

Yesterday we featured projects from the 1950s, in case you missed it. http://vignellicenter.tumblr.com/post/165414947927/vignelli-sevendecades-1950s 

Signage for the New York Transit Authority subway, designed by Massimo Vignelli and Bob Noorda, 1966 Massimo and Lella Vignelli Papers Vignelli Center for Design Studies Rochester, New York

Peace Target holiday card for Museum of Modern Art, Designed by Massimo Vignelli, 1968 Massimo and Lella Vignelli Papers Vignelli Center for Design Studies Rochester, New York

Galileo, an Italian science magazine,  cover and layout by Massimo Vignelli, 1963 Massimo and Lella Vignelli Papers Vignelli Center for Design Studies Rochester, New York

Rank Xerox Showroom plans, designed by Massimo and Lella Vignelli Massimo and Lella Vignelli Papers Vignelli Center for Design Studies Rochester, New York

Rank Xerox Showroom photographs, designed by Massimo and Lella Vignelli Unimark International records Vignelli Center for Design Studies Rochester, New York

Solari Cifra3 clock [vintage 35mm slide], designed by Gino Valle and Massimo Vignelli, circa 1964 Unimark International records Vignelli Center for Design Studies Rochester, New York

Colton Nuts & Bolts men’s toiletries packaging, 1968 Massimo and Lella Vignelli Papers Vignelli Center for Design Studies Rochester, New York

Vignelli holiday card extravaganza!

It's the season for holiday cards! Here's an example for the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). The cover is a metallic blue! There are a number of special features on the holiday cards in the archives: metallic finishes, blind embossing, cut outs, etc.

We’ve gathered a number of holiday cards from the Massimo and Lella Vignelli papers to get you in the spirit! Stay tuned!

And if you need more holiday inspiration from the archives, remember our 12 days of Vignelli archives from last year?http://vignellicenter.tumblr.com/search/12+days

And what about these other posts from previous years?http://vignellicenter.tumblr.com/search/christmas

http://vignellicenter.tumblr.com/search/holidays

Vignelli holiday card extravaganza!

It's the season for holiday cards! Here's an example for AIGA NY. There are a number of special features on the holiday cards in the archives: metallic finishes, blind embossing, cut outs, etc.

We’ve gathered a number of holiday cards from the Massimo and Lella Vignelli papers to get you in the spirit! Stay tuned!

And if you need more holiday inspiration from the archives, remember our 12 days of Vignelli archives from last year?http://vignellicenter.tumblr.com/search/12+days

And what about these other posts from previous years?http://vignellicenter.tumblr.com/search/christmas

http://vignellicenter.tumblr.com/search/holidays

Vignelli holiday card extravaganza!

It's the season for holiday cards! Here's an example for Baalbek International. This one features a cutout. There are many special features on the holiday cards in the archives: metallic finishes, blind embossing, cut outs, etc.

We’ve gathered a number of holiday cards from the Massimo and Lella Vignelli papers to get you in the spirit! Stay tuned!

And if you need more holiday inspiration from the archives, remember our 12 days of Vignelli archives from last year?http://vignellicenter.tumblr.com/search/12+days

And what about these other posts from previous years?http://vignellicenter.tumblr.com/search/christmas

http://vignellicenter.tumblr.com/search/holidays

Vignelli holiday card extravaganza!

It's the season for holiday cards! Here's an example for JCDeaux. There are a number of special features on the holiday cards in the archives: metallic finishes, blind embossing, cut outs, etc.

We’ve gathered a number of holiday cards from the Massimo and Lella Vignelli papers to get you in the spirit! Stay tuned!

And if you need more holiday inspiration from the archives, remember our 12 days of Vignelli archives from last year?http://vignellicenter.tumblr.com/search/12+days

And what about these other posts from previous years?http://vignellicenter.tumblr.com/search/christmas

http://vignellicenter.tumblr.com/search/holidays

Vignelli holiday card extravaganza!

It's the season for holiday cards! Here's an example for Equitable Investment Corporation. There are a number of special features on the holiday cards in the archives: metallic finishes, blind embossing, cut outs, etc.

We’ve gathered a number of holiday cards from the Massimo and Lella Vignelli papers to get you in the spirit! Stay tuned!

And if you need more holiday inspiration from the archives, remember our 12 days of Vignelli archives from last year?http://vignellicenter.tumblr.com/search/12+days

And what about these other posts from previous years?http://vignellicenter.tumblr.com/search/christmas

http://vignellicenter.tumblr.com/search/holidays

Vignelli holiday card extravaganza!

It's the season for holiday cards! Here's two examples with blind embossing. One for the Columbia Business School at Columbia University and one for Galerie Maeght. There are many special features on the holiday cards in the archives: metallic finishes, blind embossing, cut outs, etc.

We’ve gathered a number of holiday cards from the Massimo and Lella Vignelli papers to get you in the spirit! Stay tuned!

And if you need more holiday inspiration from the archives, remember our 12 days of Vignelli archives from last year?http://vignellicenter.tumblr.com/search/12+days

And what about these other posts from previous years?http://vignellicenter.tumblr.com/search/christmas

http://vignellicenter.tumblr.com/search/holidays

Holiday greeting card for Columbia Business School 6″ x 6″ Box 91, Massimo and Lella Vignelli Papers Vignelli Center for Design Studies Rochester, New York

What is scarier than Halloween? The answer, as our collective manifesto revealed, is the unmasking of one's own biases. Our group synthesized the entire Critical Thinking curriculum into the concept of the Critical Brain (Fig. 1), a visualization assigned for our five core principles to different regions. This demonstrates that critical thinking is not a single academic discipline but a constellation of metacognitive habits essential for design practice.

The first principle, “Question everything, especially your own intentions,” established the mandatory bedrock of self-regulation, forcing us to unpack our biases. This aligns directly with Stephen Brookfield's model of critically reflective practice, which posits that uncovering and challenging our assumptions is the hardest but most essential task of adult learning (Brookfield, Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher, 21). The subsequent principles- “Truth is constructed,” “Think critical, not chronological,” “Reason before reaction,” and “Write to understand yourself” - collectively map the module’s learning outcomes, transforming abstract analysis into concrete action steps for any creative brief.

While the framework is strong, I would personally advocate for elevating the emphasis on Principle 3, “Think critical, not chronological.” The linear approach suffocates genuine creativity; true critical design requires non-sequential thinking, moving fluidly between ideation and critique. If I were to make a change, I would add a sixth, externally focused principle: “Critique the System, Not the Symptom.” This mandate for structural analysis would better integrate the societal critique we explored in earlier weeks regarding power dynamics and ethics.

The most significant aspect of CTS B for my overall programme is the final principle, “Write to understand yourself.” The reflection journal has become the literal blueprint of my evolving designer identity. In Studio , this writing process moves my work beyond aesthetics; the structural form is a critically articulated decision about load-bearing and user experience. This reflective practice is also vital in Design Skills and Materiality. The constant mandate to “Reason before reaction” ensures that immediate technical feedback isn't taken personally but is used as data for Donald Schön's concept of reflection-in-action (The Reflective Practitioner, 54).

This systematic methodology governed my personal Peatlands Zine project (See Fig. 2 & 3). Developed from a transformative 10-day regional expedition across Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, the Zine aimed to expose the political and economic systems driving the haze crisis and the destruction of peatlands. This goal required full deployment of the Critical Brain. The need for a singular, organized output in the Zine further highlights why Massimo Vignelli's systematic approach is the professional application of our manifesto's goal. His Unigrid System is the embodiment of “Write to understand yourself,” showing how rigorous documentation is the most powerful tool for ensuring high-quality, scalable, and consistent external communication. CTS B successfully synthesized these disparate program threads into a singular, unified, and self-aware design methodology, proving that the creative act is fundamentally an intellectual one.

Total Word Count: 463 Words

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Works Cited

Brookfield, Stephen. Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher. Jossey-Bass, 1995. (Page 21)

Schön, Donald A. The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action. Basic Books, 1983. (Page 54)

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Massimo Vignelli (1931–2014)

The 1972 New York City Subway Map (1972)

National Park Service Unigrid System (1977)