LIVING BY DESIGN

The Other Kind of Designer


Massimo Vignelli stated that two types of designers exist.
So how do you reconcile the two?

In his interview with Steven Heller, Vignelli responded to a question pertaining to information architecture versus other forms of design: “There are two kinds of graphic designers: One is rooted in history and semiotics and problem solving. The other is more rooted in the liberal arts—painting, figurative arts, advertising, trends, and fashion. These are really two different avenues. The first kind is more interested in looking to the nature of the problem and organizing information. That’s our kind of graphic design. To me, graphic design is the organization of information. The other kind is interested in the look and wants to change things all the time. It wants to be up-to-date, beautiful, trendy.” After giving an example of the “other kind” of designer, Vignelli concludes by saying that, “There are really two channels, completely different from each other: one side is the structured side, the other is the emotional side.”



The above excerpts were taken from Steven Heller and Elinor Pettit’s Design Dialogues by Allworth Press. Massimo Vignelli is the co-founder and President of Vignelli Associates and Chief Executive Officer of Vignelli Designs in New York. His work includes graphic and corporate identity programs, publication designs, architectural graphics, and exhibition, interior, furniture, and consumer product designs for many leading American and European companies and institutions.