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Il canone Vignelli
Con questo manuale, il famoso designer italiano Massimo Vignelli, ci permette di entrare nel mondo del buon design secondo le regole e i criteri che ha sviluppato nell'arco della sua carriera. Vignelli utilizza numerosi esempi per trasmettere le applicazioni nella pratica, dalla progettazione del prodotto tramite sistemi di segnaletica e la progettazione grafica del corporate design. In questo modo lascia una traccia di fondamentale importanza, un manuale a disposizione dei giovani designer che per la chiarezza dell'esposizione e la traduzione visiva dei concetti (il libro è interamente disegnato da Vignelli e dal suo team) è destinato a diventare una bibbia del design contemporaneo.
112 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2010
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1435 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
March 7, 2016
Vignelli pissed me off in design school with his absolute declarations, but his adages ring truer the longer I stay in the biz.
May 25, 2016
Every rule of design put into one book. Broad rules that don't restrict but just define good design. I re-reference it frequently. Easily applicable in many other fields.
Read
October 5, 2022obviously this guy is sooooo trad but his sense of humour is kind of endearing and surprises throughout
August 12, 2023
Fascinating yet utterly practical insights from a master designer; the intangibles and the tangibles.
April 14, 2015
Important principles in here. Designers should be able to design everything "from the spoon to the city." I'll be referencing this book for the rest of my life.
Similar to Vignelli's designs, he's able to take complex systems and concepts and presents them in clear and concise ways in this incredible canon.
My favorite parts are on Grids and White Space. Not only are these elements intuitive, they're also the ones that Vignelli seems to stress the most in the canon.
Design is One.
Similar to Vignelli's designs, he's able to take complex systems and concepts and presents them in clear and concise ways in this incredible canon.
My favorite parts are on Grids and White Space. Not only are these elements intuitive, they're also the ones that Vignelli seems to stress the most in the canon.
Design is One.
February 28, 2025
This design book has made more sense to me than any other. I feel like I've just been allowed behind the curtain to see the inner workings of graphic design
July 7, 2013
Where many designers have a way of congesting their message with convoluted jargon, Vignelli cuts out the excess and only preserves the timeless practices of design. His methods are based in simplification, sometimes religiously so, and he is mortified by exercises that are not time-tested. The Canon is an excellent starter read for anyone interested in the essential elements of design.
May 28, 2014
Great concise design book that you can read in less than an hour. Clear ideas about what should be the foundations of mostly visual design. It is dogmatic on some aspects such as typography, but honestly I do like the approach of brushing with broad strokes.
February 24, 2022
I have learnt a lot from this book. Found it from a course in Interaction Design School, and I think it's totally worth it. The design rules are really concise and easy to understand, follow and use in our own design.
January 28, 2025
Helpful.
Read
September 9, 2025I just read a whole book to help me choose a font.
November 11, 2021
Essencial a qualquer designer!
January 11, 2020
"We are definitively against any fashion of design and any design fashion. We despise the culture of obsolescence, the culture of waste, the cult of the ephemeral. We detest the demand of temporary solutions, the waste of energies and capital for the sake of novelty. (...) We strive for a Design that is centered on the message rather than visual titillation. We like Design that is clear, simple and enduring. And that is what timelessness means in Design."
"It is just like in music, where five lines and seven notes allow one to make infinite compositions. That is the magic of the grid."
—Grids, Página 46
"A publication, whether a magazine, a book, a brochure, or even a tabloid is a cinematic object where turning of the pages is an integral part of the reading experience. A publication is simultaneously the static experience of a spread and the cinematic experience of a sequence of pages."
—Sequence, página 84
"It is imperative to develop your own vocabulary of your own language - a language that attempts to be as objective as possible, knowing very well that even objectivity is subjective."
—Conclusion, Página 96
March 20, 2018
One of the best designers of all time. Great content from the master himself. Enjoyed this!
January 18, 2025
Quotes
- Semantics, in design, means to understand the subject in all its aspects; to relate the subject to the sender and the receiver in such a way that it makes sense to both. It means to design something that has a meaning, that is not arbitrary, that has a reason for being, something in which every detail carries the meaning or has a precise purpose aimed at a precise target. [...] Vulgarity implies a blatant intention of a form of expression that purposely ignores and bypasses any form of established culture. (p.11)
- Discipline is an attitude that provides us with the capacity of controlling our creative work so that it has continuity of intent throughout rather than fragmentation. Design without discipline is anarchy, an exercise of irresponsibility. (p.16)
- Appropriateness is the search for the specific of any given problem. [...] Appropriateness transcends any issue of style—there are many ways of solving a problem, many ways of doing, but the relevant thing is that, no matter what, the solution must be appropriate. I think that we have to listen to what a thing wants to be, rather than contrive it into an arbitrary confinement. (p.18)
- Design is a discipline, a creative process with its own rules, controlling the consistency of its output toward its object in the most direct and expressive way. (p.22)
- Visual strength is an expression of intellectual elegance and should never be confused with just visual impact—which, most of the time, is just an expression of visual vulgarity and obtrusiveness. (p.24)
- Intellectual elegance is the sublime level of intelligence which has produced all the masterpieces in the history of mankind. [...] Intellectual elegance is also our civic consciousness, our social responsibility, our sense of decency, our way of conceiving Design, our moral imperative. (p.26)
- We strive for a Design that is centered on the message rather than visual titillation. We like Design that is clear, simple and enduring. And that is what timelessness means in Design. (p.28)
- The white space on the printed page is the correspondent of space in architecture. In both situations space is what qualifies the context. (p.92)
- Economy in design is the most appropriate and lean solution to every problem. [...] Good design doesn't cost more than bad design. The opposite is quite true, very often. (p.94)
Conclusion (p.96)
Throughout our creative lives we have sifted through everything to select what we thought best. [...] [G]radually we buil[d] a vocabulary of materials and experiences that enable us to express our solutions to given problems—our interpretations of reality.
It is imperative to develop your own vocabulary of your own language—a language that attempts to be as objective as possible, knowing very well that even objectivity is subjective.
I love systems and despise happenstance.
I love ambiguity because, for me, ambiguity means plurality of meanings. I love contradiction because it keeps things moving, preventing them from assuming a frozen meaning, or becoming a monument to immobility.
As much as I love things in flux, I love them within a frame of reference—a consistent reassurance that at least and at last I am the one responsible for every detail.
And that is why I love Design.
- Semantics, in design, means to understand the subject in all its aspects; to relate the subject to the sender and the receiver in such a way that it makes sense to both. It means to design something that has a meaning, that is not arbitrary, that has a reason for being, something in which every detail carries the meaning or has a precise purpose aimed at a precise target. [...] Vulgarity implies a blatant intention of a form of expression that purposely ignores and bypasses any form of established culture. (p.11)
- Discipline is an attitude that provides us with the capacity of controlling our creative work so that it has continuity of intent throughout rather than fragmentation. Design without discipline is anarchy, an exercise of irresponsibility. (p.16)
- Appropriateness is the search for the specific of any given problem. [...] Appropriateness transcends any issue of style—there are many ways of solving a problem, many ways of doing, but the relevant thing is that, no matter what, the solution must be appropriate. I think that we have to listen to what a thing wants to be, rather than contrive it into an arbitrary confinement. (p.18)
- Design is a discipline, a creative process with its own rules, controlling the consistency of its output toward its object in the most direct and expressive way. (p.22)
- Visual strength is an expression of intellectual elegance and should never be confused with just visual impact—which, most of the time, is just an expression of visual vulgarity and obtrusiveness. (p.24)
- Intellectual elegance is the sublime level of intelligence which has produced all the masterpieces in the history of mankind. [...] Intellectual elegance is also our civic consciousness, our social responsibility, our sense of decency, our way of conceiving Design, our moral imperative. (p.26)
- We strive for a Design that is centered on the message rather than visual titillation. We like Design that is clear, simple and enduring. And that is what timelessness means in Design. (p.28)
- The white space on the printed page is the correspondent of space in architecture. In both situations space is what qualifies the context. (p.92)
- Economy in design is the most appropriate and lean solution to every problem. [...] Good design doesn't cost more than bad design. The opposite is quite true, very often. (p.94)
Conclusion (p.96)
Throughout our creative lives we have sifted through everything to select what we thought best. [...] [G]radually we buil[d] a vocabulary of materials and experiences that enable us to express our solutions to given problems—our interpretations of reality.
It is imperative to develop your own vocabulary of your own language—a language that attempts to be as objective as possible, knowing very well that even objectivity is subjective.
I love systems and despise happenstance.
I love ambiguity because, for me, ambiguity means plurality of meanings. I love contradiction because it keeps things moving, preventing them from assuming a frozen meaning, or becoming a monument to immobility.
As much as I love things in flux, I love them within a frame of reference—a consistent reassurance that at least and at last I am the one responsible for every detail.
And that is why I love Design.
September 24, 2022
Short and straight to the point, this is a summary of Vignelli's design principles. He advocates for intentional, meaningful, economical, self-explanatory, and consistent design.
Favorite quotes:
"Semantics, for me, is the search of the meaning of whatever we have to design ... It means to design something that has a meaning, that is not arbitrary, that has a reason for being, something in which every detail carries the meaning or has a precise purpose aimed at a precise target."
"We are definitively against any fashion of design and any design fashion. We despise the culture of obsolescence, the culture of waste, the cult of the ephemeral. We detest the demand of temporary solutions, the waste of energies and capital for the sake of novelty. We are for a Design that lasts, that responds to people’s needs and to people’s wants."
"In the end, a design should stand by itself, without excuses, explanations, apologies."
"There are no hierarchies when it comes to quality. Quality is there or is not there, and if is not there we have lost our time."
"I think that we have to listen to what a thing wants to be, rather than contrive it in to an arbitrary confinement."
"I strongly believe that design should never be boring, but I don’t think it should be a form of entertainment. Good design is never boring, only bad design is."
"We tend to like a form of layout that almost disappears to the eyes of the reader. We would say that if you see the layout, it is probably a bad layout!"
"Some people who talk loud and tend to scream trying to persuade you, love to increase the size and weight of type to make the message louder ... In a world where everybody screams, silence is noticeable. White space provides the silence. That is the essence of our typography."
"I often say that in typography the white space is more important than the black of the type."
"Quality is not necessarily more expensive than cheap solutions. Good design doesn’t cost more than bad design. The opposite is quite true, very often."
"It is imperative to develop your own vocabulary of your own language - a language that attempts to be as objective as possible, knowing very well that even objectivity is subjective."
Favorite quotes:
"Semantics, for me, is the search of the meaning of whatever we have to design ... It means to design something that has a meaning, that is not arbitrary, that has a reason for being, something in which every detail carries the meaning or has a precise purpose aimed at a precise target."
"We are definitively against any fashion of design and any design fashion. We despise the culture of obsolescence, the culture of waste, the cult of the ephemeral. We detest the demand of temporary solutions, the waste of energies and capital for the sake of novelty. We are for a Design that lasts, that responds to people’s needs and to people’s wants."
"In the end, a design should stand by itself, without excuses, explanations, apologies."
"There are no hierarchies when it comes to quality. Quality is there or is not there, and if is not there we have lost our time."
"I think that we have to listen to what a thing wants to be, rather than contrive it in to an arbitrary confinement."
"I strongly believe that design should never be boring, but I don’t think it should be a form of entertainment. Good design is never boring, only bad design is."
"We tend to like a form of layout that almost disappears to the eyes of the reader. We would say that if you see the layout, it is probably a bad layout!"
"Some people who talk loud and tend to scream trying to persuade you, love to increase the size and weight of type to make the message louder ... In a world where everybody screams, silence is noticeable. White space provides the silence. That is the essence of our typography."
"I often say that in typography the white space is more important than the black of the type."
"Quality is not necessarily more expensive than cheap solutions. Good design doesn’t cost more than bad design. The opposite is quite true, very often."
"It is imperative to develop your own vocabulary of your own language - a language that attempts to be as objective as possible, knowing very well that even objectivity is subjective."
July 29, 2018
Free dl from his website. He comes off as a humble yet opinionated, thoroughly modernist designer. He outlines the tools, methodologies and fairly simple, pragmatic philosophy into a canon. Though a generalist designer who espouses a universality of design, there's a clear focus on graphic design he goes through typeface, weight & size, rules, grid, layout, sequence, paper choice and binding.
What makes it into his canon is only the restrained set of tools he's used widely and with success in his career. He doesn't shy from the fact he works almost exclusively in a modernist approach and reuses the same methodologies and tools that are refined in succeeding generations but essentially remain the same. For example, he doesn't see the need for the existence for more than about 6 types (Garamond, Univers, Futura, Helvetica, a Bodoni and another I can't recall) across almost all applications and that the proliferation of other types is mostly just people trying to make some money.
The general message is that the elements of design have been proven, they're already at your disposal, and you're better off limiting yourself to the basics. The mastering of design is understanding the appropriateness of the design elements in relation to the concept and each other and having a feeling for good composition i.e. what communicates well.
One slight annoyance is he mistakes the golden ratio for the Lichtenberg ratio used in intl. paper sizes. Also it's short which is nice.
What makes it into his canon is only the restrained set of tools he's used widely and with success in his career. He doesn't shy from the fact he works almost exclusively in a modernist approach and reuses the same methodologies and tools that are refined in succeeding generations but essentially remain the same. For example, he doesn't see the need for the existence for more than about 6 types (Garamond, Univers, Futura, Helvetica, a Bodoni and another I can't recall) across almost all applications and that the proliferation of other types is mostly just people trying to make some money.
The general message is that the elements of design have been proven, they're already at your disposal, and you're better off limiting yourself to the basics. The mastering of design is understanding the appropriateness of the design elements in relation to the concept and each other and having a feeling for good composition i.e. what communicates well.
One slight annoyance is he mistakes the golden ratio for the Lichtenberg ratio used in intl. paper sizes. Also it's short which is nice.
June 29, 2020
The recently deceased Massimo and Leila Vignelli—St Peter's Church Manhattan, Heller dinnerware, a poster with Massimo announcing, "I am Bodoni!" This extravagantly illustrated, exceptionally opinionated overview takes us through whys and hows that comprised the couple's overall approach when they created any type of solution.
Part One: The Intangibles addresses topics like Semantics, Discipline, Visual Power, Responsibility, Equity. Part Two: The Tangibles outlines aspects of design that typically can be quantified, that to some extent can be taught. Examples? Grids, Margins, Columns and Modules; Type Size Relationships; Scale; Layouts; Sequence; White Space.
"The Vignelli Canon" is the title of this short book; in fact, Leila and Massimo themselves are central to the acknowledged canon of contemporary designers and the subject of many design school lectures and presentations. As a working designer, I found the reflections on design semantics the most timeless and helpful. A pdf is generally available as a free download, so why not add it to your library of artist essentials?!
Part One: The Intangibles addresses topics like Semantics, Discipline, Visual Power, Responsibility, Equity. Part Two: The Tangibles outlines aspects of design that typically can be quantified, that to some extent can be taught. Examples? Grids, Margins, Columns and Modules; Type Size Relationships; Scale; Layouts; Sequence; White Space.
"The Vignelli Canon" is the title of this short book; in fact, Leila and Massimo themselves are central to the acknowledged canon of contemporary designers and the subject of many design school lectures and presentations. As a working designer, I found the reflections on design semantics the most timeless and helpful. A pdf is generally available as a free download, so why not add it to your library of artist essentials?!
February 25, 2022
Thank you, Mr. Massimo Vignelli.
You truly have an elegant and beautiful mind, an honest heart, and your works will continue to influence people all over the world from all ages and walks of life, consciously or unconsciously.
This is a highly recommended reading for both designers and those interested in design.
A friend of mine (97) discovered the Vignellis and often referenced them — but only after diving deeper into Vignellis thoughts and work ethics I understand the true value and relevance of his legacy in a visually expanding world.
The Vignelli Canon could be seen as a metaphysical treatise or meditation — it would be an interesting experience to read it with people from other fields such as theologians, philosophers and sociologists. I think it is a mercy to him, that he did not live to see the decay of design and public society. May we use his wisdom and pick up where he left off.
I recommend everyone to watch the film Design Is One: The Vignellis.
You truly have an elegant and beautiful mind, an honest heart, and your works will continue to influence people all over the world from all ages and walks of life, consciously or unconsciously.
This is a highly recommended reading for both designers and those interested in design.
A friend of mine (97) discovered the Vignellis and often referenced them — but only after diving deeper into Vignellis thoughts and work ethics I understand the true value and relevance of his legacy in a visually expanding world.
The Vignelli Canon could be seen as a metaphysical treatise or meditation — it would be an interesting experience to read it with people from other fields such as theologians, philosophers and sociologists. I think it is a mercy to him, that he did not live to see the decay of design and public society. May we use his wisdom and pick up where he left off.
I recommend everyone to watch the film Design Is One: The Vignellis.
July 5, 2020
"Freedom of choice can only happen with knowledge and that is an ongoing process that requires structure and determination, not happenstance"
The Vignelli Canon is a book that I had been wanting to read for years, but for some reason kept postponing it. Maybe I thought it would be a very technical read, or boring, but how wrong was I!
It's easy to read, very small (at 98 pages) but at the same time very informative; it's interesting how in such a small amount amount of pages Massimo Vignelli managed to share such insightful views on Design and his philosophy regarding it. Even though I don't fully agree with everything he states (he can sound a bit dogmatic at times), it's undeniable that his Design work is excellent and so are his ideas.
It's an essential read for Designers and I wish I had read it sooner, like at the beginning of my Design studies.
The Vignelli Canon is a book that I had been wanting to read for years, but for some reason kept postponing it. Maybe I thought it would be a very technical read, or boring, but how wrong was I!
It's easy to read, very small (at 98 pages) but at the same time very informative; it's interesting how in such a small amount amount of pages Massimo Vignelli managed to share such insightful views on Design and his philosophy regarding it. Even though I don't fully agree with everything he states (he can sound a bit dogmatic at times), it's undeniable that his Design work is excellent and so are his ideas.
It's an essential read for Designers and I wish I had read it sooner, like at the beginning of my Design studies.
April 16, 2018
If someone asks you, "Why did you make this?" and you respond, "Because I can", Vignelli would tell you that's no good.
Written in two parts, Vignelli summarizes his design philosophies and methodologies into this compact book. Whether or not you agree with some of his philosophies, he argues them thoughtfully and his passion for design is inspiring. The examples he uses primarily focus on physical media, particularly printed goods, but the concepts discussed are intended to be understood for all walks of design. After all, "if you can design one thing, you can design everything."
Considering the brevity, every designer should read through this at least once. Especially as it's available for free:
http://www.vignelli.com/canon.pdf
Written in two parts, Vignelli summarizes his design philosophies and methodologies into this compact book. Whether or not you agree with some of his philosophies, he argues them thoughtfully and his passion for design is inspiring. The examples he uses primarily focus on physical media, particularly printed goods, but the concepts discussed are intended to be understood for all walks of design. After all, "if you can design one thing, you can design everything."
Considering the brevity, every designer should read through this at least once. Especially as it's available for free:
http://www.vignelli.com/canon.pdf
October 15, 2022
“Well-conceived and -designed products are the result of courage not fear.”
“Design is one- it is not many different ones. The discipline of design is one and can be applied to many different subjects, regardless of style. Design discipline is above and beyond any style. All style requires discipline in order to be expressed.
Very often people think that design is a particular style. Nothing could be more wrong! Design is a discipline, a creative process with its own rules. controlling the consistency of its output toward its objective in the most direct and expressive way.”
Definitely disagreed with some of his absolutist maxims but this book is a fantastic tool for any designer.
“Design is one- it is not many different ones. The discipline of design is one and can be applied to many different subjects, regardless of style. Design discipline is above and beyond any style. All style requires discipline in order to be expressed.
Very often people think that design is a particular style. Nothing could be more wrong! Design is a discipline, a creative process with its own rules. controlling the consistency of its output toward its objective in the most direct and expressive way.”
Definitely disagreed with some of his absolutist maxims but this book is a fantastic tool for any designer.
September 26, 2019
Any such book containing rules or laws or a canon in a concise and simple form is so precious.
I found more ready-to-digest knowledge in the tangible (section 1) of the book though, that talks about semantics and syntax and discipline being core to design and ambiguity lending power to design.
The tangibles were too specific to typography and publications, and hence I found them less enjoyable but still valuable i am sure.
And last but not the least, it is articulated and underlined that why we love design, because in design, there is a lot of flux, but within a frame of reference, and one is responsible of each and every miniature detail.
I found more ready-to-digest knowledge in the tangible (section 1) of the book though, that talks about semantics and syntax and discipline being core to design and ambiguity lending power to design.
The tangibles were too specific to typography and publications, and hence I found them less enjoyable but still valuable i am sure.
And last but not the least, it is articulated and underlined that why we love design, because in design, there is a lot of flux, but within a frame of reference, and one is responsible of each and every miniature detail.
August 5, 2021
An unusual insight into half of one of the great design duos. What sets this book apart is how specific it gets into Vignelli’s design choices - his favorite fonts, paper, and grid formations. There are plenty of places where his values may contradict your own, but it’s also clear that that rigidity is what makes their work so iconic, and often leads to surprisingly dynamic results. Which is to say, this is a chance to get into the nuts and bolts of practical design with one of the greats and it’s a rare treat.
March 28, 2018
Very good summary of design basics for consumer objects. The book itself has a neat design layout. You can pick the book anytime and start reading from the bookmark as chapters are almost independent. You will get a good idea of all the design parameters which are taken into consideration in making timeless design. Understanding the making of a timeless design can be useful in any field of work.
April 1, 2018
Thoughtful, concise, and eloquent.
I was not convinced by his definition of "intellectual elegance", but I appreciated his discussion of design's complexity, the importance of discipline, and the portability of the design process.
The practical advice he gave in Part 2 was focused on print media, but it could also be applied to digital screens.
I was not convinced by his definition of "intellectual elegance", but I appreciated his discussion of design's complexity, the importance of discipline, and the portability of the design process.
The practical advice he gave in Part 2 was focused on print media, but it could also be applied to digital screens.
October 9, 2018
I don't know if this book has had a direct, significant and positive influence on design today, but the majority of the material, tips and illustrations are ok at best.
The one really interesting idea is how design (esp. logos/brands) develop to become a significant part of a culture, just like how Big Ben is significant to London's culture. This is an extremely interesting insight.
The one really interesting idea is how design (esp. logos/brands) develop to become a significant part of a culture, just like how Big Ben is significant to London's culture. This is an extremely interesting insight.
September 16, 2022
Simple and inspirational principles on design. For example, the author suggests that Grid is the most simple but also difficult discipline when it comes to setting a layout. Whether it's 3, 4, 5, or 6 columns, it's the foundation to project a level of intellectual elegance. As a result, it's important to know which kind of grid is the most appropriate.
February 21, 2025
i enjoyed how this book was written, it encouraged my own inner dialogue. i liked reading ab the author’s personal opinions on things he feels so certain ab, and reflecting on how i want to feel ab it the topic. i am still new to creative design work so i’m just trying to absorb as much information and perspectives as i can to form my own opinions. it was a nice and digestible read.
June 29, 2017
An amazing book detailing Massimo Vignelli's thoughts on design and his design process. The book taught me a lot of important design terminalogy and helped me to understand why modernism is so amazing. This is something I always sensed, but never understood intellectually.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews