As previously mentioned, I wanted to create a restaurant called 'Vignelli's Italian' - A restaurant based around Massimo Vignelli's design aesthetic. First I thought it was vital to understand his entire ethos, which is why I have chosen to research into him.
I follow Vignelli on Twitter, so decided to see if he (or Leila Vignelli) had tweeted anything I could use:
Below are some of his tweets I have found interesting, copied and pasted:
Design is a process of thinking: examining, sifting, digging, exploring until you get down to the thing that is just right.
Anything which is complicated is bound for obsolescence very quickly because the memory cannot retain it.
Remember that the word aesthetics contains the word ethics: without this one the first one no longer exists.
I seek to affect the lives of millions of people — not through politics or entertainment, but through design.
Without consistency, meaningless changes camouflage those that are purposeful.
Worth repeating: Good design is visually powerful, intellectually elegant, and above all, timeless.
The worse the designer is, the more typefaces he uses.
We like music and we can’t stand noise. What we see in poor design is noise. Noise is a sound that has no intellectual depth.
Design without discipline is anarchy.
We like design that has strength. This is what the Bauhaus was all about: simple things that work, that last, that are good, that are real.
When you have discipline, you don't have to look for beauty – it comes out from the clarity of information itself. That is why we use grids.
We prefer a primary palette of red, blue, and yellow, but any color works if you push it to the extreme.
White in typography is what space is in architecture.
If you can design one thing, you can design everything, because the discipline of design is the same.
Key Points
Clarity
Ethics
Discipline
Functionality
Timelessness
Simple Colour Pallette
Negative Space
I also found this, which pretty much outlines my Key Points:
The Vignelli Canon
- Functionality and timelessness is key.
- The brand needs consistency, and if the identity is clear and obvious enough, it should work over both print and web seamlessly.
- Vignelli believes that only 5 or 6 typefaces are ever needed - Not necessarily the typical modernist 'bold sans serif'.
- Comparison of large point sizes with small point sizes work well together.
- Grids are vastly important to communicate successfully.
- Logo design involves a huge consideration, as it can essentially be the face of the company.
- International paper sizes should be used over US paper sizes. 'A4 should always be used for stationary'
- Rulers are perfect for separating text, and splitting it into grids.
- Vignelli prefers a primary palette of 'red, blue and yellow'
- White space should be used to your advantage.
The Canon Itself: