Lines - Side Table - LEAD TIME - 6-8 weeks

The Lines Series captures classic design at its best, line upon line, with an energetic splash of color.

Designer

Massimo + Lella Vignelli

What was your inspiration?

We decided to take the three basic ways of setting type as a reference (for us only), that are: flash left (for the long bench) centered (for the middle one) and justified (for the table) so we played the usual interaction between design fields... We were not interested in flowery patterns, so the lines were natural for us. That was our inspiration...

Why is it important for you to give back?

For the last 25 years, RIT has been collecting archives of the best modernist graphic designers of the last century and they really use this material for teaching, so the students learn, about History, Theory and Criticism, directly from the archive material. Really a rare opportunity, that no other Institutions share. RIT is expanding their collecting policy to include some product design and our Archive will be the first to cover the whole field of Design. Worldwide, it is quite rare to find an Archive Center for Design Studies that is well organized, always open to the students and scholars. The Vignelli Center for Design Studies at the RIT will be an alive place, to support the education of the designers of the next generations.

Bio

Lella Vignelli, born in Udine, Italy, received a degree from the School of Architecture, University of Venice, and became a registered architect in Milan in 1962. In 1959, Ms. Vignelli joined Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, as designer in the Interiors Department. The following year, with Massimo Vignelli, she established the Vignelli Office of Design and Architecture in Milan.

In 1971, the Vignellis established Vignelli Associates and seven years later, they formed Vignelli Designs, a company dedicated to product and furniture design, of which she is President. Ms. Vignelli designs showrooms, museum interiors, offices, exhibitions, furniture, silver tableware, objects, and jewels. Her work has been featured in design publications in the U.S. and abroad. Examples of her work have been included in the permanent collections of numerous museums all over the world. The Vignellis’ work has been the subject of two feature-length television programs that have been televised worldwide. A monographic exhibition of the Vignellis’ work toured Europe between 1989 and 1993, and was featured in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Helsinki, London, Budapest, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Munich, Prague and Paris.

Lella Vignelli lectures in schools and Universities and is a frequent speaker and juror for national and international design organizations. Ms. Vignelli has been the recipient of many design awards including: the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Industrial Arts Medal - 1973, AIGA Gold Medal - 1983, Interior Design Hall of Fame - 1988, National Arts Club Gold Medal for Design - 1991, Interior Product Designers Fellowship of Excellence - 1992, Brooklyn Museum Design Award for Life Achievement – 1995. Lella and Massimo Vignelli have received the National Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Museum of Design at Cooper-Hewitt - 2003, Visionary Award from the Museum of Art and Design - 2004, Architecture Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters - 2005. She is also the recipient of honorary doctorates from the Parsons School of Design, the Corcoran School of Art, and the President Medal of the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Massimo Vignelli, born in Milan, studied architecture in Milan and Venice. In 1965, he became co-founder and design director of Unimark International Corporation. Mr. Vignelli is the co-founder and President of Vignelli Associates and CEO 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.

Mr. Vignelli’s work has been published, exhibited throughout the world, and entered in the permanent collections of museums worldwide. Mr. Vignelli has taught and lectured on design in the United States as well as abroad. For the past ten years, he has taught a summer course at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. He is a past president of the Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI) and the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), and a vice president of The Architectural League.

Massimo Vignelli has received many awards including: Gran Premio Triennale di Milano - 1964, Compasso d’Oro, awarded by the Italian Association for Industrial Design - 1964 & 1998, Industrial Arts Medal of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) -1973, Art Directors Club Hall of Fame - 1982, AIGA Gold Medal - 1983, the first Presidential Design Award, presentedby President Ronald Reagan - 1985, Interior Design Hall of Fame - 1988, National Arts Club Gold Medal for Design - 1991, Interior Product Designers Fellowship of Excellence - 1992, Brooklyn Museum Design Award for Lifetime Achievement - 1995, Honorary Royal Designer for Industry Award from the Royal Society of Arts (1996), Russel Wright Award for Design Excellence – 2001. Lella and Massimo Vignelli received the National Design Lifetime Achievement Award – 2003, Visionary Award from the Museum of Art and Design - 2004, Architecture Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters - 2005. He has been awarded honorary doctorates from institutions including: University of Venice, Parsons School of Design, Pratt Institute, Rhode Island School of Design, Corcoran School of Art, Art Center College of Design, and Rochester Institute of Technology.

Foundation

Botanist believes that design can make a difference.
Sales from the "Lines" series benefit the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT).

Mission

The RIT community engages and motivates students through stimulating and collaborative experiences. RIT's mission is to (1) provide technology-based educational programs for personal and professional development, (2) rigorously pursue new and emerging career areas, and (3) develop and deliver curricula and advance scholarship relevant to emerging technologies and social conditions.