Words on Massimo Vignelli

Massimo-Vignelli

Massimo Vignelli, a pillar of good taste and grace in our design community, is presently not feeling well. Perhaps a statement from any of you whom he touched, influenced or inspired, would be well received. Let’s give him a lift on his continued spectacular journey in life.

B. Martin Pedersen, Graphis, Inc.

Photo taken by New York photographer John Madere,Graphis Master and creative behind Massimo Vignelli: A Short Documentary

Author: Rachel Lowry

222 thoughts on “Words on Massimo Vignelli

  1. May God bless and hope you feel better. You are a true inspiration. (Not to mention a legend…)
    mike

  2. Massimo you have been an inspiration throughout my career, a true legend in the industry. You have touched my life with your designs. I hope to touch yours with my profound wish that you are feeling better soon and can resume your wonderful work.

    Hope and Prayers, Kurt

  3. Dear Massimo,

    Please understand that the work you have done has set a benchmark for all of us who follow to aspire to. Your work is so beautiful. You have had so much success in the fight against ugliness in this world.
    Thank you so much.

    Deborah

  4. Massimo, I heard you speak at an AIGA event I was photographing in Boston several years ago. Your philosophy of design and life touched me then and are still influencing both my professional and personal life. Thank you for your inspiration. You are immortal in my eyes.

    Matt McKee

  5. Mr. Vignelli.

    I have always been inspired by your clean, elegant, witty approach.

    Hoping you feel beeter soon.

  6. Massimo Vignelli stands for design quality. Because he stands for design we have all benefited in trying to live up to his standards. I teach a class in Communication design at Hostos College (CUNY) and I always share insights from the work of Massimo as one of our true Design Visionaries. And every time I see Helvetica in the Subway systems I say, Thank You Massimo!

  7. Thank you for all that you have brought to design and the world. Your words have guided and inspired countless designers.

    I am sorry to hear that you are ill, and wish you the very best.

    – Chris Scarlata

  8. Mr. Vignelli, as a 20 something student at a small college in Missouri, you inspired me to pursue a career in design.
    Thank you for your high standards, timeless design and inspiration. I wish you well.

    —Dan Stewart

  9. Hello Massimo…..
    First, my wife, Judy Collins and I send you our love and best wishes to jump over this episode and get better. We all need you wisdom and long to see you smile.
    I remember getting being on an IDSA selection committee with you some years ago and sharing our feelings about the quality of the submissions as well as our choices. A grand way for me to spend that day. Not too many month later, gettign off a jet at Heathrow we bumped into each other with a smile and some happy thoughts for the day to come. And time and again we’d meet at various design events and award ceremonies….and last year at Public Color’s review of student work.

    Get better Massimo and continue to wow us with your creativity.

    Louis Nelson

  10. Congratulations, Massimo, on a life journey devoted to create beautiful, consistent and timeless pieces of communication. Your work will keep inspiring and influencing generations to come.
    Thank you.
    Leonel

  11. May you get strength soon, because we real need, since your more than just our inspiration in the world of innovation and creativity.

  12. Dear Massimo, thank you for clearing the path through the visual jungle, thank you for being a symbol of respect, thank you for letting us stand on your shoulders…standing on the shoulders of giants makes us see very, very far.
    Sincerely,
    Slavimir Stojanovic Futro

  13. I had the distinct pleasure and honor of meeting Mr. Vignelli at a design conference in Cambridge, Mass. in the 90s, and had a brief conversation with him while walking through the MIT campus. He is truly a design superstar and has been a guiding example as I have pursued a career in design. His work and his life are both models of what can be achieved through design. He’s one of a kind.
    John Thiel
    Principal + Creative Director, THIEL Design, Milwaukee, WI

  14. Dearest Massimo,

    I really hope that through this effort of those around you, you are able to feel the impact you have made on the lives near and far (I’m currently in Dubai, UAE!). Thank you for all of your great influential work, which will live on for many years to come. In my years at university, I was fortunate enough to have professors (at SCAD) who were also touched by your work/ philosophy and have in turn come to be a huge admirer. I’m at a loss for words- I wish I would have been able to have met you in person. Thank you again and I wish you and your family only the best.

  15. Your work has always inspired me and I often remember your kindness
    years ago to a young photographer trying to find his way. Forza, Massimo. Tieniti duro!

  16. When I started out- the design world outside of Chicago was Graphis and CA. Issue after issue I kept seeing the amazing work of one person- who inspired me to think harder, reduce more and strive for elegance. You still inspire me. Feel better please.
    -Steve Liska

  17. Massimo Vignelli
    work of visual clarity and stunning simplicity
    the reason I entered the graphic design profession
    creator of the stendig calendar, a little piece of his genius I get to look at and use every day
    get well

  18. Together with our RIT industrial design students, and project partner Herman Miller, I will be handing out 3,000 free copies of the Metaproject 04 books at Designweek in NYC this week to visitors from around the world who converge for this important industry event. The books contextualize Massimo’s design evangelism and it’s connection to our teaching at RIT. Let’s consider this offering an affirmation of his impact on the future of design education and celebrate him in his adopted home town during this difficult time.

  19. Massimo!!

    Thanks a lot for your intelligent and brilliant work… you’ve been an inspiration, master!!
    I will take care to continue your ideas and concepts.

    😉 love

  20. I have been inspired by your work since my years as a graphic design student at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. I continue to work in the field and have also taught graphic design and typography, using your work as examples for my students.

  21. Thank you Massimo, for the passion and inspiration you consistently offer to your fellow designers!

  22. Massimo,
    We’ve never met but every morning when I pick up my coffee cup, I remember that it was you who designed it. People who appreciate great design are most appreciative of all of your contributions to our lives.

  23. I was briefly brushed by Massimo’s elegance in a small room at the Guggenheim retrospective of Ellsworth Kelly’s art. He was examining the details in Kelly’s sketches for sculpture and paintings, the structure. I did not want to intrude, but we both made a comment about the detail and we struck up a brief conversation. I was with my daughter Alexandra and he introduced himself to her in the most courteous fashion. I gushed that as a self-taught designer I found his belief system about modernism and structure and grids to be affirming of my own belief in simplicity, by design. I admire his long-held beliefs and his staunch defense of them against the cornucopia of clutter that so much design has become. Be well Massimo. You are admired and will continue to influence lone designers such as I for years to come. – Rich Kraham

  24. Massimo – you are amazing. I had the pleasure of hearing you speak at a book conference in New York – the week of Hurricane Sandy. You are truly one of design’s greatest gifts.
    I wish you well, and hope that you feel better soon.
    You are loved by many, and have left an indelible impression upon me. Your work and contributions continue to inspire me everyday.

    Best.

  25. Dear Massimo,

    Back when I younger and was deciding what to do with my life, thinking how I could combine my love of art into a career, I stumbled upon an article about you and your wife’s design business and was inspired! Your elegant take on the business of graphic design confirmed for me that I could have a career that not only satisfied my need to design, but could also give me a lifestyle that would allow me to move through life doing something I loved. Bless you. Fight the good fight. I hope you get well soon. I look forward to being inspired by you in the future.

    All the best,
    Paul Black

  26. L’uomo che ha insegnato a tutti noi che non importa quanto è grande la casa dove vivi, ma quanto è alto il soffitto al quale alzare lo sguardo.

  27. Massimo –
    Many many years ago – (can it be more than thirty years?), I was lucky enough to meet you and Lella – with Alan Heller, at a dinner at George Beylarian’s. I was young and almost tongue-tied in your presence. Already so impressed with your work, I didn’t expect to be so taken with the beauty of the two of you. As in work, you appeared naturally in tandem, elegant and spare, yet remarkably individual. You and Lella have been an inspiration for me through my career. From the discipline and focus of your output, to the fact that there seemed to be not a line or hairs-breath drawn between your aesthetic and Lella’s – it proved that two talents could not only co-exist but thrive.
    Though my work has been spent in the full disciplines of integrated marketing, with as much attention to research, analysis and outreach as to design, the fact that we’ve won so many design awards is, in many ways, a tribute to the standards I felt you set. A plastic plate, after all, should be no less perfect than its graphic identity, and no less important than if it were the finest porcelain.
    I am so v sorry to hear that you are feeling ill, but hope the words of so many of us who have been guided by your example, will be of comfort, if not delight. And when you are feeling better, we all look forward to seeing even more work, attended by your wisdom and your talent.
    Diane Meier

  28. So sorry to hear you’re not feeling well. We are very big fans of yours. We love and respect you and your lovely wife. We have followed many articles about you both and always love to read them. Everything you and your wife design are always very elegant and classic.

    We wish you well and hope you have a full recovery.

    Irene and Sylvain Michaelis

    Michaelis/Carpelis Design

  29. Ciao Massimo.

    Firstly, I want to say we have had dinner together for more than 20 years. When my wife and I were first married – we purchased a set of the Sasaki colorstone (sage green-ish) and just recently retired them (except for soup bowl that I make my oatmeal in)….we will give them to one of our sons (12 and 15 now)…

    I love them and always have. At the time – and still – they are groundbreaking. Not in an over-designed way – quite the opposite. They are simple, heavy, tireless and timeless. They look just as good now as they did in 1986 or whenever we bought them.

    Amazing simplicity. Timeless design.

    Next thing I must say – I bow to you sir – NYC transit subway design and type specification. Again – another timeless design that looks great now and has evolved nicely from your original design. Thank you for that.

    I can only hope my creative can be as timeless as yours. To me, that is the true measure of good design. Will it look good in 10, 20 or 30 years. Thank you for the inspiration and all of the iconic work.

    Best wishes sir.

    John Mamus
    Chief Creative Emerita/Designer
    MAMUS

    Northport, NY

  30. I am so sorry to hear that you are ill. My good wishes to you, dear man. I graduated from the RIT Graphic Design program and was thrilled when you put your collection there. What an honor to have the work of such a talented and distinguished designer as yourself at my university. You have inspired me my whole life, from the NYC subway map to the The Vignelli Canon, and I thank you.

  31. ”Massimo, your soul creates poetry with color and fontography.”

    Being intrigued, excited and inspired by your works is what helped propel my firm’s inception in 1980. Grazia! Bravo, Massimo!

  32. Mr. Vignelli, you work continues to be an inspiration to me. Your NYC subway map is the gold standard in elegance, restraint, color.

    To one day build a legacy of work the way you and Lella have done would be the best accomplishment I could imagine.

    Wishing you strength and comfort.

    Sincerely,
    Mary O’Keefe

    P.S. These icons were a nod to your map:
    http://www.okeefead.com/projectBrowser.php?project=8&slide=1

    http://www.okeefead.com/projectBrowser.php?project=8&slide=3

  33. Dear Massimo,
    For the many people I encounter in my job everyday who don’t understand why good design matters, I often refer them to your work—especially the New York Subway map. It becomes clear, then, how crucial good design is in our everyday lives and how something so practical can also be incredibly beautiful. Thank you for all the brilliant work you have done for the world.
    Sincerely,
    Debra Bishop

  34. I saw Mr. Vignelli speak at the University of Kansas back around 20-some years ago as part of the Hallmark Symposiums organized by a teacher of mine, Thomas Allen. He showed a lot of great work, some entertaining anecdotes about Helvetica, and a big personality that evening. I think he was really the first person that got through to me about simplicity and it’s value. And it wasn’t through it typography or other visual media, it was through his suits that he had designed. The simple collar and simple button designs made me think about how much can you take away from something like a suit, and have it still be a suit? And then once you have those minimal elements, how do you make that amazing? It was a formative lesson in conceptual thinking that had been said to me a number of times, but he was the one who finally got through to me.

  35. My first design job after IIT/ID was with Unimark International and I remembered the quality
    of work being done by Massimo in print, packaging, interiors, product design you name it
    the Massimo style was there it was an honor to work in your presence. Keep the faith and get well.

    Dan Weeks

  36. Massimo,

    I had just entered the profession when you were a part of Unimark in Chicago working with Dale Fahnstrom, Hari Boller, Phil Sefeld and that gang. It was 1971.

    43 years later, I now operate my firm from studios in Woodstock, Illinois, ( the setting for the film Ground Hog Day. )

    We have your “Handkerchief ” chairs in our conference room. They are beautiful and timeless, like all of your work .

    Thank you for your contribution to our profession.

    Michael Stanard
    One Zero Charlie

  37. dear massimo

    we send you all the strength, hope and love from overseas.
    your thoughts teached me how to work and make it worth.
    thank you!
    good luck and get well soon.

    forza!
    Nadine Geissbühler

  38. The life of a designer is a life of fight against the ugliness.
    Fight against the ugliness.

    There is a poster hanged in-font wall of my desk with this quote and I feel its always in my nature to do with things around me.

    Lots of respect and love forever.

    Thanks

  39. Massimo, your work is timeless, a constant reminder of how beautiful design can be in a world with trends. I can recall watching a design documentary at a young age and hearing the name Massimo for the first time. Since then I have followed your life and work, consistently being more inspired from the road you paved for young designers. I hope you feel better because there is still much more that needs to be designed and we can’t do it without you. Thank you and get well soon.
    Sincerely,
    Justin Nowak
    TOPSWATCH

  40. My wife Ruth and I visited Massimo’s studio as part of an interior design class from Virginia Commonwealth University. He and his wife were gracious hosts, and I thank them both for their hospitality.

    He said “A Good Designer Can Design Anything.”

    And his work proves that point.

    From print, to interior spaces, to cutlery, and beyond, his thinking is not restricted to conventional approaches. His office had a beautiful wall of metal panels each perhaps 3’ square. Pushing one side, it sprung open to reveal hidden storage behind each panel. The metal doors were Lead covered, and heavily waxed so they could be handled. It was a beautiful surface, brilliantly designed, and beautifully executed.

    Massimo Vignelli, like Phil Marco and a few others, are giants in our field, and lucky for us, they are also warm and gracious people.

    — Glenn & Ruth Gemmell

  41. Hi there, wishing u all the best.

    Your work has contributed more to my career than you will probably ever know. You were one of the factors that inspired me to move abroad to NY and become a designer.

    Thoughts,
    Scott Walker

  42. Mr. Vignelli, you’ve been in my thoughts recently as I remembered your kindness and generosity to me when you worked on the design of our firm’s identity. You showed me that a great and legendary designer was not above the gracious treatment of a fairly minor participant in the field (myself). I will always remember that, and thank you for it.
    Wishing you all the best,
    EV

  43. I started working with graphic design in 99 to 17 years. It took me some time to begin to understand the extent of involving my work, through perceive and know which people in the world did that could graphically express the importance of design in any project.
    I always been a big fan of graphic designers that broadcast the importance of our work in the world showing the geniality of the graphic solutions and details on each part on a project.
    Massimo is one of those great masters who can create incredible grid systems designs and interesting brands that are completely timeless. I consider him a great master of graphic design and learned a lot researching and seeing all his work in these years of career.
    Thank you Massimo, you are an example of professional. I will bring all this influence until the end of my carrer.

    Carlos Nogueira

  44. You are an inspiration for all of us. You pointed the way. And, much like a subway poster, not every pair of eyes can correctly appreciate the direction you provided.But make no mistake, there are legions who love, admire and respect the talent you bring to design and to life. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

  45. Back in 1978 Massimo gave a talk at Art Center College of Design. I missed it, not knowing who he was. The next day sitting with my professors talking about the lecture they said that Massimo said that he never did symbols or “logos.” I thought who is this guy? I went on to learn more, move to New York and even do a stint in the Packaging department at JCPenny (identity by Unimark). To say that Massimo’s influence is pervasive during those times (and now) is an understatement. To me he is as much a model for what he didn’t do as for what he did. Although we’ve never met, I wish you the best. Feel better and get back to work! Jeffrey Morris

  46. I worked at Knoll International in my early years as a designer and learned so much designing within the amazing brand you developed for them. Feel better, our thoughts and prayers are with you for a speedy recovery.

  47. Grandissimo Massimo, ho usato 1000 volte gli esempi del tuo lavoro per mostrarli ai miei studenti di Grafica, Valeria Mutschlechner

  48. From the very day I walked into your studio as a college junior,
    almost 20 years ago, I was entranced and inspired forever by your work.
    May you read all of our words of gratitude, reflect on your journey
    so far and get well soon to continue to be an inspiration.

    Joelle Garofalo

  49. Get well soon and God bless you for being a great inspiration to the design community.

  50. The Vignelli Canon — and your work — has been a touchstone during my long career in design. Here’s to your health — drunk from a glass you designed. Grazie, Maestro.

  51. I hope the grace you have always shown in your magnificent and influential design life will be with you now as you fight this current challenge. You have always been warrior for what is good and right in design. May this same warrior spirit be with you now. Fight on… always fight on!!!

  52. Dear Masimmo,
    Please know that we all have loved your works and your creations in graphic arts.
    I wish you getting well soon.
    Best
    Sima
    Iranian graphic designer living in Bay Area, California

  53. mr. vignelli,
    i have never had the pleasure of meeting you but as a graphic designer and professor, i am inspired by your words and designs daily. my favorite quote from the movie Helvetica was your comment about type for the word dog does not need to bark but just be the word dog. your sensibility for design, your elegant simplicity and your integrity to the craft are all qualities all designers should strive to attain. thank you, sir. get well soon!
    julee brand

  54. Dear Massimo,
    You have inspired so many designers to bring a sense of passion to their work.Your accomplishments include not only timeless and great design in graphics and beyond, but also the art of sharing your spirit with us all. You are a true inspiration!
    Be well!

  55. Signore Vignelli, thank you for your wonderful work and making our world a more beautiful place. Your design continues to inspire myself and my team. It is timeless and a visual beacon for both young and tired eyes.

    Ti auguriamo tutti una pronta guarigione!

  56. My very best wishes for speedy recovery and more great design, Mr. Vignelli! You thought me the simplicity of Helvetica!

    Thank you!

  57. Dear Massimo,

    I was never your formal student, but you taught me so much. From studying your work, I learned about information architecture, grids and page organization, the power of black-and-white, using thick black rules, and “the five-family type mafia.”

    It was such an honor to interview you for my 1996 article in Print magazine, “No More War: Massimo Vignelli vs. the Renegardes.” I hope through that article, many people learned about your science and philosophy of communication. More important, they learned, from the example you set, how to stand up for what you believe in.

    My very best wishes to you. My husband is a rabbi and we are saying “misheberach,” the Jewish prayer for healing, for you. The words go something like this: “Bless those in need of healing with ‘refuah shleimah,’ the renewal of body, the renewal of spirit. And let us say, Amen.”

    Love,
    Ellen

  58. Dear Massimo,
    I first learned of you back in my college days studying design. Then I was fortunate enough to briefly meet Michael Bierut when he spoke at the Aspen Design Conference back in ’88-’89 after my graduation. Now, so many years later I have an associate who has one of your large Black & White Helvetica calendars on his office wall. It’s still a striking piece of design and while it’s become iconic, it’s just one of many more substantial contributions you’ve made throughout your career. Thanks for setting such high standards throughout. They will surely endure the test of time. Be well be happy with your accomplishments and delight in your contributions.
    Cheers!
    Tom Knight
    Creative Director
    Epsilon

  59. I was influenced by you Mr. Vignelli before I understood what design was. I was so drawn to many of your conceptions. I discovered you rather inversely — I was able to live with your work and discover you through proper design education. But your influence was already cemented. Thank you for all you’ve done.

  60. Mr. Vignelli,

    More than any other designer, your work has been a constant inspiration to me throughout my career. Through all the fads and trends, the timeless ideals represented in your work stand out like a beacon for all of us who believe that design is a noble pursuit.

    I wish you a speedy recovery and many more productive years.

    Your friend,

    Gary Sankey

  61. “The life of a designer is a life of fight: fight against the ugliness.”

    fight on caro massimo fight on

    kmd

  62. massimo.. (may i call you that)… i am fortunate enough to know you, in some way, though we’ve never met. your work and dignity has influenced my work throughout my career. for many years, an original, framed nyc subway map graced my wall, like any other great piece of art. your elegant design has elevated the environments they appear, whether it’s a subway car, a national park visitor center, or a scotch rocks in one of your gorgeous highball glasses. you have touched millions, some you know… most you don’t. i hope that makes you smile. recover well. and thank you.

  63. As a New York subway rider, I’m lost without you. Get well hastily.

  64. dear maestro,

    clarity, beauty and grace are rare qualities, yet your designs possess these in abundance.

    what a large, inspiring and accomplished life.

    con i migliori auguri,

    cia

  65. Dear Massimo,

    best wishes for a speedy recovery. May God bless and hope you feel better. You are a true inspiration.
    Thank you for all you’ve done.

    kat

  66. I know of a lot of people that have mentioned you and your wonderful work over the
    years. Please get better and carry on.

  67. Dear Mr. Vignelli,

    You are truly my personal design deity – the purity of your vision is a standard to which we, as designers, can all aspire. I eat off your plates at home, I see your calendar in my office every day for the last 22 years – I think of you every time I use the font Bodoni in my work, also my favorite font. Though 20 years old, the first Graphis book on typography is a standard reference for me – it still inspires me when I read your words and view your exquisite work. A little voice in my head often says: WWMD (What Would Massimo Do?). Be well – you have influenced so many!

  68. The work of Don Massimo, along with a few other giants of design, has laid a beautiful and robust foundation upon which the rest of us aspire to lay our own layer, however thin.

    Get well soon sir.

    maximo escobedo

  69. I have never met you, and have only come to know your work in the last year or so, but the spirit in which you and Lella have collaborated sends a clear message about the power of collaboration and relationship in design. I hope you are feeling better soon.

    Simeon Goa

  70. Dear Mr. Vignelli:

    As with every designer you touched, you inspired from the work you did, the lifestyle you projected and the design touchpoints that you engaged in, forcing us to follow behind, trying to catch each and every tidbit you would throw out for us to learn, and learn and finally try to apply ourselves. You lead, you teach, you inspire, you force us all to look, think and engage. What a legacy is that?

    However, you have touched me personally as well. You have been an inspiration and a lodestone for those of us who have married, partnered and worked with our significant other since forever like you and Leila. There are other design couples–but you two are the top of the pyramid. I adore your coupleness from the work you do, to the way you interact publicly and in interviews. I had the honor of visiting Josh Owen at RIT and having the grand tour of all things Vignelli, and the most touching take away for me was the rack of manilla paper slopers of the clothes you and Leila had designed and made.. There you both were again, mingling on a neat clothes rack –sharing your life in design and your life with each other. Two twined vines creating a rich life.

    Thank you for the gift of love, of love of profession, love of another, and an extraordinary love of life which you imbued in everything you have ever done. We love you right back.

    Love and Peace during this difficult time and beyond.
    Q. Cassetti

  71. Massimo Vignelli, a giant signpost on the design landscape. Your influence will continue to guide and inspire.

  72. Massimo, thank you for inspiring me to be a designer and bring beautiful things into this world every day.

  73. Massimo
    A few years ago we were working closely on Warner Bros. Studio stores. (with our good friend Terron Schaefer, VP of Marketing, now EVP and Creative Director at SAKS)
    We knew that Terron was looking at doing a rebrand of WB Studio Stores and we thought must have been in a good position to win it.

    However, we got the call that nobody likes to like get… Terron had decided to hand the work (without a pitch) to another agency!!

    Our disappointment was tempered somewhat though when we found out that your agency (Vignelli Associates) had got it… Only one thing to say to that… “Great decision Terron, Massimo will do an amazing job!”… and of course you did.

    You’re a legend. Thank you.

    Very best wishes

    Greg Quinton
    The Partners

  74. Dear Massimo,
    You are my influencer.
    I wish you all the best and get well soon.

    Thank you for everthing you had done in design’s world.

    Pulp

  75. Thank you for all you have done for the world through your design work. You have produced such a formidable body of work that will leave an everlasting legacy. It will always be discussed in design history circles, and thus continue to inspire young designers as they make their mark on their world. I wish you good health, and thank you once again for your incredible contribution to the field of design.

  76. Hey Massimo,

    Sorry to hear you’re not feeling well. I just want to take a minute to thank you for being such a damn good designer. I’ve been teaching design in Chicago and now in Tucson Arizona and I’ve developed many classes based on the “Masters of Design”. You’re the one that students love. I’ve always had them try to design a poster in your style. The other masters were people like Saul Bass, Paula Scher, and Paul Rand. Plus I’ve shown the movie “Helvetica” many times and everyone loves your comments in that film. I always thought your statement that the word “Dog” doesn’t have to bark makes a great point, especially in my typography class.

    I was very lucky to be part of the first Unimark office in Chicago…I remember Ralph’s stigmatism whenever I presented work to him the type couldn’t be too light…or it would vibrate for him…those were the days. You guys were such stars and made so many sensational presentations. I’m sorry I didn’t get the importance of having the white coats at the time…to give the designers the “European look”. But I’m a farm kid from Nebraska and all I associated white coats with was butchers.

    I’ve printed out all the info you’ve sent about all your work and Lella’s as well. She’s really beautiful and so great…nice to have her to hang around with all this time.

    So feel better fast and thanks for all that you’ve contributed to the design world, it has been amazing. Whenever you get to feeling better come on out to Tucson and we’ll have a Margarita and watch the sun go down and discuss which fonts are our 5 favorites.

    Jim Lienhart

  77. Massimo,
    We met back in the mid 70’s. You were already a legend, I was fresh out of SVA. You didn’t give me a job so I went back to school – the best thing for me at the time.
    All my wishes for recovery and strength to continue to inspire.
    Jim Waters,
    Paris

  78. Dear Massimo,
    We suffer as you suffer. Let’s face it together and fight it out. Sending you well wishes for your quick recovery and good health.
    Best,

    Monir Zarnegar

  79. Massimo, You have been blessed to have touched countless lives. I pray that our Amazing Creator, the Lord, who has the extreme power to create galaxies upon galaxies of Magnificence, lift you up for healing, comfort and peace.

    Take Care.
    Lisa Fiedler Jaworski

  80. Thank you Mr. Vignelli for your inspiration, elegance and dedication to the design world. You’ve taught us so much through your work. Get better soon.
    Best,
    Jack Tom

  81. Massimo Vignelli,

    You have been a great influence on me. Through your pure sense of design, I learned from you the timeless quality of beauty and an emotional expression.

    For all of us, you are truly a father of design.

    Many many many thanks for your education. I am continually learning more from you.

    Sincerely,
    Toshiaki Ide

  82. I learned to navigate the NYC subway system and to appreciate thoughtful design from your extraordinary map. And that was just my introduction to your work.

    Best wishes for your health and happiness.
    … Nancy

  83. As an impressionable young designer in the 1980’s, Vignelli Associates was to me the pinnacle of design firms. An inspiration as I struggled to settle on a major in college. I knew that I wanted to be a designer, but I was drawn to product and landscape design as much as print. As I studied their work (and when you talk of Massimo’s achievements, you are really talking about the team of Massimo and Leila) I felt encouraged that I did not need to limit my design or creative aspirations.

    I spent my first few years after graduation honing my craft in Atlanta, but when I was ready to take on New York City in 1988, Vignelli Associates was at the top of the list in my job hunt. In those days, one had to type a letter and make a phone call to arrange interviews, then lug along a large and cumbersome design portfolio. I was quite pleased to get a number of interviews with top-notch firms and the Vignelli interview was one I still remember so clearly. I was told to address my letter to, then Vice President, Michael Beirut. Though I met with Mr. Vignelli only for a short time while interviewing, his presence was everywhere. The slick grey space, the warmth with which my interview proceeded, the feedback from Mr. Beirut. I felt as though they had all the time in the world to spend with me as they offered words of encouragement. He brought in two of his young designers to look at my portfolio and made me feel as though I really had some talent.

    Mr. Vignelli’s generosity of knowledge is legendary and physically evident in the Vignelli Center for Design Studies. That spirit is rare in our electronic world today but one I appreciate and intend to try to share with any young designers who cross my path.

    Massimo’s “lifelong collaborative working relationship” with Leila Vignelli also reminds me of my own parents. Their ability to work as a team, both at work & in life is a testament to their character. Their high standards for a beautifully designed world are admirable. Vignelli helped me learn that poor problem-solving and egotistically-driven design only lasts a moment; whereas truly inspired & meaningful design will last more than a lifetime.

  84. Thanks for your inspiration when I was a student. Specifically, I remember meeting at an AIGA conference some time in the early 1990’s, when a particular surf magazine style was all the rage 😉 It was very reassuring to be in the company of others with an appreciation of clean, timeless (not to mention legible) communications. Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

  85. I was lucky enough to visit your office in New York while in design school. A school colleague was working for you then and we stopped by to see him. The visit confirmed in me that a career in design was possible, but a life of design was the goal to aim for. I have since, seen so many classmates leave their design careers – they have given up the fight. I have not, for…

    “The life of a designer is a life of fight. Fight against the ugliness. Just like a doctor fights against disease. For us, the visual disease is what we have around, and what we try to do is cure it somehow with design.”

  86. Your work has inspired millions, and it has stood the test of time. Sending you healing thoughts.

  87. Dear Massimo,
    This weekend on may 17 i will open my illustrations exhibition in Andre Francois Center in France, Compiegne citty. I invite You to come there by imagination.I will think about you all the time,i wish for You good health.Artist to artist sometime are talking in silence.All the best
    Stasys Eidrigevicius
    14 mai 2014

  88. Massimo, 43 years ago I walked into your studio on 54th Street and you selflessly offered me your help and guidance with my new design job at The Press, the follow up to The Herald project.

    I was only a kid, working my way through Parsons and was in way over my head. You explained how your grid worked and how, with one typeface, in three sizes, everything on the page would appear perfect. I learned more about design in one hour with you than years of design school had taught me.

    Thank you for your caring and your inspiration. That one experience enriched my life and my design career in so many ways. Have a blessed day. Tom

  89. We humans, always trying to recreate the world around us, through art, passion, expression, reaching out to each either through these human feelings, breaking the barrier of time, space and imagination. Few reach this level of connection. That’s why I’m writing to you. I believe you reach this level, and right now here I am, a human being sending a message back to you, to let you now that I was touched by the love and passion you transmitted through your work and to thank you for what you done.

    Rodny Lobos

  90. When I was a kid (a long time ago) finding my way in the design world, there where a handful of design super stars that influenced and informed my work. You were one of them. I think that the elegance of your work always set you apart. Thank you!

  91. Back in the early ’80s, I met Massimo at a design conference in Toronto. There were swarms of fans surrounding this rock star and pillar of design. He and I were engaged in conversation when one of the throngs interrupted and more or less pulled him away. About two minutes later, after I’d concluded that I’d had my chance with him, Massimo actually found me nearby and, total gentleman that he is, made it clear that he wanted to complete whatever that conversation was that we’d started. Extraordinary man — thank you, Massimo, and huge best wishes!

  92. I recently watched Design is One and was beautifully reminded of the impact your design has had on me personally and on the world. Wishing you strength and renewed health.

  93. Every time I run into something about you, Massimo, I remember the great pleasure of interacting with you in Guanajuato, Mexico. It’s been many years, but the way you looked at me during our conversations and referred to my work will always be in my heart. Your design quality is just a reflection of your amazing human quality.

    Cheer-up! We’re looking forward to much more of you!

    Greeting from (now) Montreal.

  94. Massimo,
    You’re influence in the world of aesthetics is unmatched. Thank you for your integrity and intelligence. The beautiful way you are able to articulate design principles has been incredibly helpful and inspiring to me as a design student, and I aspire to be able to approach design problems with the same tact, wisdom and skill with which you always do. God bless you and your beautiful wife and family.
    Best Regards,
    Sam

  95. You love design and you made me love it too. The first time I heard you speak your first words were (with tears in your eyes), “I love design.” Thank you.

  96. I send you much healing energy and my unwavering respect. Speedy recovery. You have so much more to create over the coming years. the sooner you get to it the better!

  97. The first time I saw your work, I was amazed how someone can create design that were so beautiful and exciting out of so few elements and “unexciting” style. Massimo, you are an embodiment of strengthen and substance. We all pray for your well recovery.

  98. Massimo!
    You’ve inspired me, too. I heard you speak in 2012 at the Brand New Conf. and left ready to solve the world’s problems with clean design and using only red, white and black. Ha!

    We are wishing you well and will send all of our good vibes your way.

    Marco!

  99. Dear Massimo, I have not had the pleasure of working with you, but you’ve been an incredible inspiration from the moment I first saw your work. You are a giant dear sir.

    Good thoughts and prayers are reaching out to you!

  100. Mr. Vignelli, thank you for your design leadership — you’ve altered the course of our art and industry with unmatched grace and beauty. All the very best to you — in health and in life.

  101. Your work inspire and continue to motivate me when creativity sometimes seems like a disposable skill. Thanks for reminding me what true design is all about. Lize 🙂

  102. Wish you get well soon, Mr. Massimo Vignelli. We’d love to see more thoughts and works from you.

  103. During the early stages of my career as an art director and graphic designer I looked around for mentors. In advertising it was Bernbach, Della Femina, George Lois and in graphic design it was Glaser, Paul Rand but in packaging only one master stood out Vignelli. There has been no one to match your grace and style. At 62 I still look to you as the only true master.

    JIM

  104. To MV,

    The idea of simplicity is ironically complex.

    It is usually surrounded by a minutia of variables and possibilities. Whether it’s a confusing transit system or the identity of a media giant. The ambiguity of complexity can be overwhelming to some and impossible to others.

    Mix in even more ingredients like all the languages on earth, personal messages to be conveyed, the innuendoes and subtleness of tone, touch and hearing, nods and hand-shakes and so on.
    A to B sometimes looks easy, in truth however, it can be an arduous journey.

    You are a rare purveyor of simplification. A person who sees through indecision and has the extraordinary ability to create universal languages that we can all know and understand.

    The idea of complexity has never been in your sight, only definitively sound solutions.

    Thank you for showing us the calming serenity of simplicity.

    J

  105. Massimo,
    I attended one of your AIGA presentations more than 20 years ago. You told us then that we would only ever need five type fonts. You were so right.
    I can’t think of anyone who has had a more profound effect on my work and my career. You instilled in me a love of simple, elegant and smart design, as well as a deep love of typography – for more than five type fonts.
    In my home,I still use many of the products you have designed over the years. You teach me something every day.
    Feel better soon.

  106. Massimo,
    You’ have had such a profound impact on so many designers, both young and old. In fact, New York’s subways would obviously not be the same without you. Your legendary work, your classiness and your humility have forever touched so many individuals and influenced their careers in endless ways. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family in this difficult time and I wish you the best with your recovery. You will always be an inspiration to all.
    Truly,
    -Michael

  107. My best wishes to you Massimo for a speedy recovery. We met at York University in Toronto back in 1983. You have been a design hero of mine and a constant source of creative inspiration to me as a graphic designer for over thirty years. Keep fighting the good fight!!

  108. Your work and your grace continues to inspire me and thousands of other folks. Stay strong, Massimo. I wish you all the best.

  109. Mr. Vignelli:
    We have never met but, on occasion, I do bring up your name in conversation. Simplicity. Elegance. Perfection. Those are the things I’m talking about whenever I say the words “Massimo Vignelli”. Thank-you for you inspiration. Thank-you for making the world more accessible. More elegant. More perfect. More Vignelli.

    Sincerely yours,
    Margaret Kim

  110. I knew Massimo because Mr. Monacelli gave him the design of my large format book of aerial photography “Sacred Lands of The Southwest.” published by Monacelli Press in 1995. The design work was brilliant, giving the double spread aerial images space, flare and room to breath. His handling of my text was the same. I consider his elegant perceptive design to rank with and above the best of photography and picture book design that I have seen. I wish my old friend and collaborator Massimo well. His contributions to the field of graphic design are legendary. Harvey Lloyd

  111. Massimo, solamente gracias, porque tu trabajo inteligente emociona y conmueve. Lo mejor para vos, ya tu legado es eterno. Un abrazo grande!
    Guillermo

  112. Massimo
    I’ve been thinking of you a lot lately. Not just about Italian food and dinner together, but having just toured the impressive Vignelli Center at RIT with Roger Remmington, my faith in simplicity and elegance was reaffirmed. What a terrific tribute to your vision and career.
    Feel better and continue to add to your legacy.
    Best regards
    Doug

  113. Massimo, your design work transcends all trends and, more importantly, conveys a vital love of the world (and typographic order!). Thank you for creating such a splendid design legacy, one that continues to be a source of inspiration for designers everywhere.

    Best wishes to you and to your family.

  114. Massimo,
    As a younger designer i differed with you about your five typefaces, your primary forms, and your limits, As i have aged i can see how much you have contributed through this limited elegant and timeless palette . Thank you for making the trip to SCAD Atlanta the past few years, and especially thank you for our dinners that allowed me to know you, your love of Lella, and your family. Thank you for being an inspiration to me throughout my career, as i am sure you have been to many people around the world.
    Best wishes for health, happiness and love
    Jan Lorenc

  115. Dear Massimo,
    I had the fortune of sitting next to you at a One Club Creative Hall of Fame event a couple of years ago. That night Saul Bass was inducted, and it was a special moment for me to be able to honor one of my design heroes while sitting next to another. Your warmth and charm were much appreciated and something I shall always remember. Thank you for being such an inspiration to so many, and to generations to come.
    Sincerely,
    Steve

  116. My parents, who were not exactly design-savvy, had your Heller dinnerware set when i was a child. The Helvetica logo in a circle on the bottom has got to be one of my earliest memories where I was paying attention to design and typography. It wasn’t until I entered college that I realized the significance of that dinnerware set, which our family had dubbed “the picnic plates”.

    Matt “Varnish” Taylor

  117. Your work is an inspiration to designers everywhere, and your wisdom has influenced so many. Please continue to do so! You are a design hero… Get better soon!

  118. Ciao Massimo! You are in our lives everyday…we eat with your cutlery off plates you created… and your spirit graces our table, making our lives a little bit better. Thank you for sharing your love of design, its purpose, and this happiness. May the sun shine on you as you have shone on all of us. We love you Massimo! Be strong!

  119. Massimo,

    Thanks for always helping to elevate our profession to an art form. Hope you are feeling well again real soon.

    Every time I walk into the complexity of a NY Subway terminal, I am reminded of your brilliance.

  120. Dear Mr. Vignelli,

    Thank you for being an inspiration to the design community and to myself. I appreciate the beauty and functionality of your work that makes it so timeless. I wish you well and hope you have a speedy recovery.

  121. To say you are an inspiration is an understatement. You will be well!

  122. May strength and positive thoughts be with you, Sig. Vignelli. From my first semester in university you have been a true inspiration to my work. Although I received an A+ on my senior design project, I cannot take full credit for the exemplary grade as your influence and work was the focus. Bravo, and please provide us many, many more years of your guidance and inspiration!

  123. No one has influenced me more as a designer since my career began. Moreover, your passion for life and happiness has always thrilled me. Your work, as well as your heart, is immeasurable and has given me so much support over the years. Thank you. My love to you dear friend. Get better and let’s share another laugh. You are epic. Fondly, Christianne Smith

  124. Saw you and heard your interview at IFC on the opening night of the documentary on your and your wifes work and thought you were fabulous (just like your work).
    All best wishes for a speedy recovery so that I may be able to see you and hear you speak again soon.
    Best

  125. you are one of the greats in this field of so many!
    i had the great opportunity to come to your studio and meet with you and your wife. my class came when i was a junior with our professor, mcray magleby, and what a great experience!
    we all left with this “awe” of you as a designer but also as a person…so genuine, so down to
    earth and wonderful. thank you for being such a great example as a person and a designer,
    xox
    jen.

  126. Massimo,

    I heard you speak many years ago at a conference with top architects and graphic designers who were switching roles and expanding what they designed. Having been inspired by your perfect, timeless, elegant designs, I found in listening to you, a great charm, warmth and intelligence in how you expressed your vision. All the more inspirational for me. I hope you feel better soon.

    Carol Layton

  127. dear massimo,

    it is an honor to know you.
    thank you for your design mind
    (which is humanity).
    thank you for your wisdom.
    thank you for bringing the grid to America.
    (order from chaos)
    you are loved.
    see you soon.

    rob

  128. On behalf of all AGDA members in Australia, we wish you a very speedy recovery. Your influence has reached even us, on the other side of the globe, we are constantly inspired by you and your work and greatly admire all that you do.

  129. Massimo,

    I have always respected your design integrity, sincerity and passion. Best wishes for a speedy recovery. You are in our prayers.
    Sincerely – Tom

  130. Dear Massimo {a creative genius},

    Thank you for your inspiration and your creative wisdom.

    Best of good health and you are in my prayers! Also, have a beautiful + speedy recovery!

    Warmest,
    ~Kim

  131. Hello Mr. Massimo Vignelli,

    My name is Lauren Choi and I interviewed you over the phone while back about what makes design memorable (or anything) as I worked on my graduate thesis at Pratt. I also got to know you a bit more through Graham Hanson whom I worked for after Pratt from 2000 to 2001.

    I wanted to thank you for your help. Through the interviews, the great creators, like you, all share similar traits which I always remember.

    Thank you for generously sharing your talent, time and thinking. I am sure it touched many lives.

    I hope you will feel better soon and I am looking forward to taking courses from you.

    P.S. I contacted you for an internship a few month ago.
    P.P.S. A handwritten card on its way! 🙂

    Aloha!

    Lauren Choi

  132. Dear Massimo,

    Thank you for your creative genius
    Thank you for your charm & grace
    Thank you for your generosity

    You’ve enriched our lives

    Ken

  133. Carissimo Massimo Vignelli, ho letto con estremo piacere gli auguri di tanti amici e colleghi americani. In questo scellerato paese, che è da ormai troppo tempo l’italia, nessun segnale. Eppure dovremmo sapere che è come se stesse male Filippo Brunelleschi o Luca Pacioli. Non so come esprimerti tutta la riconoscenza per quello che, con i tuoi lavori, ci hai insegnato. I tuoi segni rossi e neri, i tuoi bozzetti bicolore, precisissimi -bastava ingrandirli col proiettore ed erano perfetti- ci sono entrati nella mente e nel cuore. La tua attitudine e la tua dedizione, l’amore per il bello e per il lavoro eccellente, cerchiamo, con la nostra approssimazione, di tramandarlo, indicarlo alle nuove generazioni, almeno questo ti è dovuto. Un caloroso abbraccio con i migliori auguri.
    Rodolfo Di Martino

  134. Dear Massimo,

    As a San Francisco designer and Art Center graphic design graduate, I just wanted to let you know how inspirational you have been to me and my passion for design. I had the good fortune to meet you and your lovely wife Lella at an AIGA national conference luncheon roundtable. You were everything I imagined: elegant, charismatic and witty, generously dispensing wisdom, perspective and inspiration to all at the table. It certainly was the highlight of my conference experience.

    I have always been guided by your belief that if a designer had respect for the design process, he could apply this problem-solving, systems approach to any design discipline. The scope of your work in graphics, publications, packaging, products, furniture, interiors and architecture is evidence of how you live by your principles. Your designs are so pure and so simple as to transcend time. They also embody a beauty, elegance and perfection of form which cannot be improved upon.

    Your influence, ideas and inspiration are forever. Please know you have the love, admiration and heartfelt appreciation of the design community and all who respect design. Wishing you strength and health.

    Thank you,
    Earl Gee
    Gee + Chung Design

  135. Dear Massimo

    Thank you for guiding me in my graphic journey in life from Colorado to Basel – you are one of the very few who have influenced our world through consistently beautiful design.
    May your health be restored and may your passion for design continue to lead!

    Larry Leuenberger

  136. Caro Signor Vignelli, mi dispiace per la sua malattia e spero proprio che si rimetterà in forma. Chi ha conosciuto, amato e creato la bellezza e l’eleganza è sempre al di sopra e più forte di qualunque male. Tanti auguri maestro,
    Edoardo Chiarini

  137. Dear Massimo, I am sorry to hear that you are not feeling well, I hope the many thoughts and prayers lift your spirits and provides healing for body and mind.
    Your thoughts on grid and flow as well as the central role of design in society have had a profound impact on my own development and work.
    Thank you for everything you have done.
    Get well soon,
    Sincerely,
    Soren Nielsen / Team OLLO

  138. Caro Massimo. You have been enormously generous to your colleagues. Once you sent
    me a letter saying my work was “terrific”. I was a young designer in Hong Kong and here comes
    this note from a creator I had never met. I don’t know if you realized the impact this kind of
    encouragement can have. There are lots of stories from our subsequent friendship having to
    do with your panache, your scholarly manner of discourse, the wit which sweetened a steely
    adherence to your fundamental, unchanging principles. And your vision which led to the
    eponymous center for Modernism at RIT in New York State. There is more to share but it will wait for our next conversation.

  139. Dear Massimo,

    Your contributions to design are nothing short of brilliance. These words are but a small token of appreciation and encouragement:

    “There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something tomorrow.”
    ~ Orison Swett Marden

    Get well soon,
    Joel Villaflor

  140. Dear Massimo, looking forward to appreciate more timeless designs from you. Do get well very soon :-). Warm regards from Hong Kong, Vicki

  141. Wish you strong health and able to introduce more of good design to this vulgar world. As a graphic designer, I always wish my design could be elegant and generous as half as yours. Your love in design is real and design loves you. God bless, Mr. Massimo

  142. Dear Mr. Vignelli,

    thank you for your ideas
    thank you for all the various discussions you created
    thank you for your writing
    and most of all
    thank you for your work

    get well soon

    Ned

  143. there is not a month that goes by that i dont quote the M. Ive been doing design work for 25 years – and he made it easier for all of us to do that well – and do it well said – thanks M

  144. Dear Massimo; Thank you for all you have brought to our company with your great inspiration.
    Keep fighting and try to get better… with best….

  145. dear massimo,
    we need you, the world needs you,
    and i hope you get well soon.
    zoran

  146. The world is a better place because of your inspired design that is as functional as it is beautiful. Be well.

  147. Massimo… your work set the bar extremely high for classic and disciplined graphic design. I joined Geigy Pharmaceuticals, in the USA, in 1967 and took up the self-imposed challenge to build upon and expand the company’s communication efforts, using standards you had created as my benchmark. Unknowingly you were a considerable influence. I wish for your speedy recovery.
    John DeCesare

  148. Upon seeing Mr Vignelli interviewed in one of the Helvetica movies, I decided i needed to send him copies of my 2 photography books designed using the blessed font….. and the next day received the most delightful and praising email from Massimo. It was an honor to receive accolades from such an icon of design. It made my day, my week, my year and remains a real highlight in my career.

  149. Your work inspired me to become a Graphic Designer. Forty three years later I remain inspired.
    Get well!
    Ian Todd

  150. Massimo
    For over twenty years you have been a gracious mentor. You have given to the community with decades of hard work and financial support to AIGA. It is not unappreciated. Your work continues to create the sense of joy and envy in all designers. Thank you for standing up and fighting for the issues that affect us all, when it would have been so much easier to stay quiet and avoid any criticism.
    very best
    Sean

  151. Your work and quotes have been a constant inspiration for me. Thank you for all you do for the design community and for the world! Wishing you a speedy recovery!

  152. Your Name has such a resonance in the design world, that brings excellence to everything it touches. I’m sure you will recover soon to continue your path.

  153. Dear Massimo

    I was very sorry to hear that you are not feeling well. You’ve been an inspiration for me not only as a designer, but also as a design educator. In that way, you’ve managed to inspire many generations of design students too! Even though we’ve never met I feel like I know a part of you thanks to your work and your texts. I hope you recover soon and I hope my words bring a little bit of joy to you during this time.

    Big fat mexican hug for you 🙂

    Natalia

  154. Dear Massimo,
    Your work has been a wonderful inspiration to me and I respect you tremendously.
    I am thankful for your creative gifts and legacy and want you to know that you are in my prayers.
    Respectfully, appreciatively, and with warm regards,
    Kyle Cooper

  155. Dear Mr. Vignelli,
    When I was starting out in graphic design I can’t say how many times your design sense inspired me. Your work seemed like a design torch to follow during those early rocky days of my career. Every time I have picked up a design annual and have seen your work, read an article by or about you, it’s added a bit more of a spark to my design approach. I remember once sitting in a jet on a runway for hours (because of impending tornadoes!) and getting to admire the American Airlines logo large in the distance–inspired that you had designed it and amazed at the strength in its beautiful simplicity. I salute you Mr. Vignelli–you are a long standing sterling example of how a single human can make such a positive intellectual impact on our world.

  156. Hello Massimo, I do hope you feel better soon…look at the outpouring of amazing gratitude and admiration from so many from around the world!!! To have touched so many with your talent, grace and kindness is truly remarkable. Every time I have come across you and Leila I have marveled at your grace, elegance and simplicity together….both of you exude a life spent devoted to design in every aspect of your lives…..so inspiring. All the best dear inspiration! Big hug and best wishes, Pooja.

  157. Massimo Vignelli is a pillar and an icon. He embodies good taste, sophistication and elegance, whether in design or in mannerism. Though my education was from the place he criticised the most, [Cranbrook Academy of Art], I have always had great respect and admiration to what Massimo Vignelli stands for. I met Massimo and his wife Lella while an undergraduate student at KCAI in 1977. At the time, I was the only foreign student in the whole Institute. My name being Leila, students designing the poster to announce the lecture event, asked me how I spelled my name since it was close. All the posters were printed with the name Leila Vignelli rather than Lella. I remember, Victor Papanek introducing me to the Vignellis and explaining that I was the reason of the misspelling!. Mr. Vignelli I hope you get better.

  158. Un grande maestro del design moderno che è sempre fonte di ispirazione per la sua creatività e il suo rigore.

    Un grande augurio per una pronta guarigione.
    Enrico Sempi

  159. Dear Massimo,

    During the short and memorable time we spent together on the AIGA Symbol / Signs project I remember you as an inspiring and gracious human being. I wish you all good thoughts and get well soon – you are irreplaceable!

    John

  160. Massimo: Wishing you a speedy recovery. Hardly a day goes by that I don’t revisit the grand days at Unimark and the times spent with you and Lella on so many great projects.
    Associate, mentor, idol, friend–be well.
    Dale Fahnstrom

  161. Dale,

    Kind words. for Massimo.

    I must tell you that I learned a great deal from you working n the store front, and across the tracks, in Riverside.

    Best wishes.

    Michael Stanard

  162. Dear Massimo,
    I am sorry to hear that you are not feeling well. Best wishes and I look forward to more of you in the near future.
    With much respect and appreciation,
    Franco

  163. Dear Massimo,
    I am sorry to hear that you are not feeling well. I wish you all the strength and health to continue inspiring the design community worldwide.
    Get well soon dear colleague!

  164. Massimo, You are truly a legend with endless talent grace and style, you influenced us all and set the standard for us to follow, thank you so much for that. Get well soon and come again to visit us at beautiful Shelter Island for both peace and excitement………Stan

  165. Massimo, I discovered that you have a big talent and you’ve been an inspiration for many designers. I hope you get better soon!

  166. Wishing you the best Massimo. Your unique aesthetic, melding order and restraint with a healthy dose of style and passion, continues to inspire us all.

  167. Dear Massimo,
    Life is proliferation of the worth of love, that its expression has been all
    time in the mind & hands of artists like you.
    Health is blessing behalf of GOD, wishing to impart this gift soon again.
    _________________________________________________________________________
    Yours sincerely :
    Ehsan Bahmani
    Art director / Fashion Designer / Freelance Visual Artist
    _________________________________________________________________________

  168. Massimo,
    Your work and you as a person are more than inspiration to me. You represent hope and dreams that can be looked up to. As foreigner designer in the US it is so motivating to know that someone like you opened such a beautiful path for the rest of us.
    Thank you and I hope you get better soon.

  169. My first lesson from you, our amazing Massimo, was how charming speaking with an accent could be! Master Massimo, you have been my good company since 1983. Alas, you do not know me! As a student of design I was blown away with your work and took your grid structure to heart. As a design teacher, I have been blowing away my students with your thoughtful design philosophy. We love your font hanger, use of Bodoni, and rich simplicity.

    Please battle for your recovery as you did for your design projects. I trust you will come out glorious, once again. With much love for you, our Master Massimo!

  170. I am from the Philippines. It was in the early 80s when I first heard about your work as a designer in NYC and since then, you have inspired me as a young designer whose major influence is modernism. I have truly admired your works and how you have worked together with your wife for your design business. I also have a design company which I co-founded with my wife as well. Last week, in the subway, I was looking at all the work you’ve done and said to myself. This design is timeless.

    You are timeless. You are a true source of inspiration. Get well soon!

  171. Massimo,

    You have been a profound influence on our community and industry and we look forward to much more of the same. We extend our deepest wishes for your speedy recovery and return.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *