Timeless Portraits Julia Margaret Cameron's
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POLITECNICO MILANO 1863 SCUOLA DI DESIGN DesignVerso è una collana dedicata ai designer della comunicazione, immaginata come allegato alla rivista Multiverso, Università degli Studi di Udine. Comitato editoriale: Prof.ssa Daniela Calabi Prof.ssa Cristina Boeri Prof.ssa Raffaella Bruno Collaboratori e consulenti: Dott.ssa Monica Fumagalli Dott. Lorenzo Rabaioli Dott. Marco Valli Direttori editoriali: Allievi Maira Bisconti Giovanna Branca Tosca Di Tria Giorgia Fulghieri Giorgia www.mvdesignverso.tk Design della Comunicazione C2, A.A. 2019/2020. Laboratorio di Fondamenti del Progetto Editoriale Attraverso questa monografia è stato esamina- to il senso di atemporalità del design, rivelando la molteplicità di opinioni e punti di vista che concorrono alla strutturazione di un concetto tanto complesso. Questo tema è stato affron- tato esponendo la visione personale di due autori lontani nel tempo e appartenenti a due ambienti artistici e progettuali differenti sot- tolineando quanto entrambi, in modo diverso, abbiano contribuito ad alimentare il flusso di un tempo che va oltre la sua concezione cronologica. Timeless è l’idea di design di Massimo Vignelli ed è anche il momento im- mortalato dalla macchina fotografica di Julia Margaret Cameron. Oggi il design è soprat- tutto relazione, e questa relazione si gioca sempre più sul filo del tempo. Un tempo che non vogliamo sia misurato e valutato esclusi- vamente in maniera scientifica, ma un tempo che vogliamo sia fermato affinché i prodotti di comunicazione siano in grado di continuare a dialogare con la realtà che li circonda, seppur questa sia in costante mutamento. Il timeless design viene analizzato da una prospettiva concettuale, pratica, personale, fotografica, educativa ed infine visuale, per sottolineare quanto siano molteplici e vaste negli approcci le analisi di una stessa idea. “Timeless” è que- sto, è andare oltre il senso cronologico del tempo, per scoprire cosa si cela dietro forme, strutture e momenti che si propongono di essere eterni, duraturi. La monografia, pur essendo italiana, contiene contributi anche in lingua inglese che non sono stati tradotti al fine di tenere fede alle fonti e conservare inte- gralmente le testimonianze degli autori; que- sto è infatti uno dei pochi modi per garantire autenticità e veridicità nella trattazione di un tema tanto cruciale nella storia del design. Indice A TIMELESS 10 Massimo Vignelli: Creator of Timeless Design and Fearless Critic of “Junk” CONCEPT 16 The art of timeless design WHAT MASSIMO VIGNELLI 22 With Massimo Vignelli. Timelessness THINKS Essence of Design 01 a cura di Maira Allievi 27 Timelessness ACHIEVING A 30 Typefaces, The Basic Ones 34 Vignelli Associates, Approach to grid- TIMELESS STYLE based design MASSIMO VIGNELLI’S RULES 39 Graphic color: Massimo Vignelli 02 a cura di Giovanna Bisconti 42 Chromotype TIMELESS 46 The Vignellis 50 Un Milanese a New York PROJECTS 56 The Subway Map That Rattled New VIGNELLI’S COLLABORATIONS Yorkers 03 a cura di Giorgia Fulghieri 60 Design Love: Vignelli Associates TIMELESS 66 The female gaze 70 The invention of photography PORTRAITS 74 She shall be made immortal JULIA MARGARET 80 Men great thru’ Genius… CAMERON’S PHOTOGRAPHY … Women thru’ Love 04 a cura di Branca Tosca 84 When mistakes make the art A TIMELESS 92 La lezione di Vignelli 98 An interview with Massimo Vignelli LEGACY 104 Design That Endures: MASSIMO VIGNELLI’S LESSONS 108 5 Lessons from Massimo Vignelli 05 a cura di Giorgia Di Tria TIMELESS 116 New York Subway Map 122 United Colors of Benetton MASTERPIECES 128 Knoll International ART THAT WAS MEANT TO BE 134 Carlyle Like a Rough Block of Michael ETERNAL Angelo’s sculpture 00 140 America The Melting Pot 1976 BIBLIOGRAFIA 146 Bibliografia A timeless concept Per vedere le copertine in realtà aumentata scarica l’app: What Massimo Vignelli thinks scaricascarica l’app lʼapp0 per per saperne saperne di di più più 1a cura di Maira Allievi www.printmag.com - 28, Maggio 2014 A Timeless concept Ellen M. Shapiro Pubblicato in Vignelli:Photographs. 2019 in Vignelli:Photographs. Pubblicato Massimo and Lella Vignelli home studio. home studio. Vignelli Massimo and Lella Immagine 01. Immagine Massimo Vignelli: Creator of Timeless Design and Fearless Critic of “Junk” The text looks back to the 1990s, to a debate that polarized the graphic In 1996, while the debate raged, I sat down Ever since you called Emigre “garbage” and design profession and that had its roots in a panel discussion on typog- with Mr. Vignelli to delve into the reasoning, “an aberration of culture,” you’ve gotten a raphy that took place in the offices of Print magazine and was report- the specifics, behind his comments. Why, I reputation as someone who makes judg- ed in a 1991 issue. On that panel, Vignelli called Emigre magazine and asked, can’t we appreciate both schools of ments about ‘good’ and ‘bad’ design based thought? As in painting or music, should there on style. Why can’t all of us appreciate many Emigre fonts “garbage” and “an aberration of culture.” His comments not be room for many styles, all of which are styles of design, just like we can enjoy listen- set off a chain of attacks on both sides. For a good part of the ’90s, one valid? And how, I wondered, would he respond ing to both Mozart and Coltraine? could hardly open a design magazine without reading about “the pris- to the criticisms of his work, the collateral Yes, but those are both good music. Then there on of the grid,” as blamed on Vignelli and other Modernists, versus “the damage of the debate? is junk music, like radio jingles. And there is chaos of the new aesthetics,” as blamed on the designers of Emigre and As you’ll see, Massimo Vignelli was fearless. He junk design. It is not a matter of style or taste. others experimenting with deconstruction and unpredictability. spoke his mind about what he believed in. He It is a matter of quality and non-quality. didn’t mince words when it came to criticizing The following conversation, re-edited for Imprint, was published in the July 1996 issue of Print as what he disliked. He even criticized his own How do you define “quality?” “NO MORE WAR! Massimo Vignelli vs. The Renegades.” clients, those who “tampered” with his work. Things that are done with knowledge. I am in 10 11 terested in work that is grounded in semiotics, exactly how the words break across the gutter. out with new expressions. But there is no foisted on a public that’s merely hungry for the science or philosophy of communications. I’m not interested in change for the sake of need for any of them. novelty? Semiotics has three levels: semantics, syntac- change or novelty. I’m only interested in a No, these people are sincere in what they’re tics, and pragmatics. Semantics relates to how projection of intelligence that comes through Does it matter to you that Emigre fonts were doing. They know their business very well. information is expressed. Syntactics relates to refinement. If I spoke to Ivan Chermayeff originally designed for output on a dot-ma- They do what they do for precise reasons. In structure, discipline, the coherence of eleme- about the same issue, he might say that say trix printer, pre-PostScript? the same way the writer of radio jingles is sin- nts, the continuity. I am also pragmatic. How that the handwriting should reflect the client, No, I don’t want to hear any rationalizations. cere about what he does. A whole generation is this perceived by the reader? Can he or she not the designer. Ours are both fine philoso- It’s all baloney. You measure these things by of students and followers is being influenced retrieve the information in the proper way? phies. American culture is young. It’s fascina- the end result. None of these fonts have made by this kind of things. Students today need ted by diversity and novelty. European culture any contribution to typography. They are com- more respect for the past. Many of them know I personally find Taylor’s Guides to Garde- is fascinated by refinement. Obviously, I be- mercial and irresponsible. nothing about philosophy, about European ning, which you designed, in which pho- long to European culture. We are continually history before the French Revolution or after. tographs of plants are arranged by color, refining language and the expression of it. I Do you use the word irresponsible because They know nothing of the major events of the size, light requirements, to be an excellent am very interested in the projection of intel- you think these fonts are cynically being century. They have no early training, such as application of this. ligence that comes through refinement. I’m The solution was in the problem itself. We’re fascinated by new typefaces drawn from the always asking ourselves how we can solve past, such as our new Bodoni, which we did the problem in the way that is the most clear, with Tom Carnase. We’re using it everywhere. most beautiful, most timeless, most elegant. Actually, I’m tired of the words, “problem-sol- You are known for doing everything with ving.” There is no absolute reality. Only one’s five type families: Bodoni, Century, Futura, interpretation of that reality. Therefore, my Garamond … solution is my interpretation of the problem … and Helvetica. filtered through my culture, my education, my understanding, my sensibility. To me, The five-family type mafia. everything has a meaning. Typography is ma- That’s a good one! Those are the typefaces de of minor things, and unless you master the with value. In the last ten or fifteen years, in meanings of those things, you are illiterate.