The Best Massimo Vignelli quotes

A grid is like underwear, you wear it but it’s not to be exposed. — Massimo Vignelli

Any color works if you push it to the extreme. — Massimo Vignelli

You cannot play the piano by telling a pianist what to do, go a little more to the left or to the right. And the same is for the computer, really. You have to play yourself to get the most out of it. — Massimo Vignelli

Good design is ubiquitous and forever. — Massimo Vignelli

If you do the best thing everyday of your life, but nothing shakes you nor shakes the table for you and others, it is stale and its not worth it. — Massimo Vignelli

The scale relates to everything. The thickness of a pipe, the thickness of a leg of the furniture. Even color could have a scale. — Massimo Vignelli

The repercussion of ugliness is endless. — Massimo Vignelli

I see graphic design as the organization of information that is semantically correct, syntactically consistent and pragmatically understandable. — Massimo Vignelli

You can reach timelessness if you look for the essence of things and not the appearance. The appearance is transitory–the appearance is fashion, the appearance is trendiness–but the essence is timeless. — Massimo Vignelli

I’m not a designer, I’m a sifter. I can sift everything, all the time. My sift level lines keep shaking all the time for everything that is around. — Massimo Vignelli

The computer is really like a pencil, you know. It used to be. The pencil can do anything you want to, but you have to do it, and the same is with the computer. — Massimo Vignelli

If you can design one thing, you can design everything. — Massimo Vignelli

Designers take care of everything around us. Everything that is around us, this table, this chair, this lamp, this pen has been designed. All of these things, everything has been designed by somebody. — Massimo Vignelli

The only way to stay in fashion is never be in. If you are never in fashion, you are never out of fashion. — Massimo Vignelli

Don’t be governed by the grid, govern the grid. A grid is like a lion cage–if the trainer stays too long it gets eaten up. You have to know when to leave the cage–you have to know when to leave the grid. — Massimo Vignelli

The pencil you leave it there, and it’s dead. It doesn’t do anything and it doesn’t move by itself. It doesn’t offer anything; it’s totally submissive to you. — Massimo Vignelli

Greed is really the religion of vulgarity. — Massimo Vignelli

It is better to starve than get a bad client. — Massimo Vignelli

Most of the manufacturers they tend to design things to sell they are more interested in the money side than anything else. — Massimo Vignelli

I like it to be visually powerful, intellectually elegant, and above all, timeless. — Massimo Vignelli

Design without discipline is anarchy, an exercise of irresponsibilit y. — Massimo Vignelli

The first thing you need to make clear to a client is that you aren’t there to answer his wants but to answer his needs. — Massimo Vignelli

In design, be logical, search for truth, be clear. — Massimo Vignelli

Styles come and go. Good design is a language, not a style. — Massimo Vignelli

If you do it right, it will last forever. — Massimo Vignelli

There are people that thinks that type should be expressive. They have a different point of view from mine. — Massimo Vignelli

If all people doing desktop publishing were doctors we would all be dead! — Massimo Vignelli

The life of a designer is a life of fight: fight against the ugliness. — Massimo Vignelli