“The grid is an integral part of book design,” says Massimo Vignelli. “It’s not something that you see. It’s just like underwear: you wear it, but it’s not to be exposed. The grid is the underwear of the book.”
Massimo Vignelli. In 1931 he was born in Milan, he studied architecture in Milan and in Venice. In 1960, before establishing Vignelli Associates in 1971 and Vignelli Designs in 1978 in New York, he opened Studio Vignelli of Design and Architecture in Milan together with Lella Vignelli; in 1965 he was the co-founder as well as the Design Director of the Unimark International Corporation.
His work includes Graphic and Corporate Identity Programs, Publishing Design, Systems of signs, Exhibitions, Furniture and Interiors, Product design for both American and European companies and institutions.
Massimo Vignelli is world renowned for producing a wide range of award-winning designs over the last five decades. Now, Vignelli is sharing his experiences as a book designer to support Mohawk’s “What Will You Make Today?” campaign. In answer to the question, Vignelli has co-developed a limited-edition journal featuring Mohawk paper, and narrates an animated video explaining his grid-centric approach to book design.
