Massimo Vignelli was born in Milano, Italy on January 10, 1931. He studied at Accademia di belle arti, In Milan and later at the School of the University of Venice. In 1957, he came to New york and taught at the Institute of Design of Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago for 3 years. He also taught at the Umanitaria School of Graphic Design in Milan and at the Institute of Industrial Design in Venice. In 1960, he established a design studio with Elena Vignelli focusing on visual, product, furniture and exhibition design.
I chose Massimo for I had briefly heard of him while attending JCCC and we also talked about him my my History and Philosophy of Design class. Even though he did create some absolutely amazing pieces, I have also heard that his work was a collaboration between him and multiple people. But this just goes to show that it is true what they say: that most designers, most of the people who actually put in the time and hours, do not always get the credit. Instead, the firm will. Which honestly, is fine by me.
Dick Bruna
"Dick Bruna was born in Utrecht, Netherlands on August 23, 1927. Since he was a teenager he had interest in design. After the war, Bruna and his family moved to Hilversum, Netherland. He doesnt’t like school and work as intern in Utrecht, London and Paris instead. He highly impresses of Picasso, Leger, Mattise, Braque, Rembrandt, Gerrit Rietveld and Van Gogh works. In the early 50's, He had a chance to make book covers. His early work was influenced by Mattisse's collage. "The first year a series of about six books appeared, the second year there were roughly eighteen, but soon afterwards there were more than one hundred a year. I realized that I, at this rate, had to apply all possible techniques: drawing, tearing, cutting, collage. The black bears were my art school." Dick Bruna by Joke Linders."
I find Bruna to be one of those whimsical designers. A person who is able to illustrate his images as he sees them in his head. They are exciting, energizing and precise. Illustration has never been my strongest suit, but I love it tremendously And hopefully from looking at work such as Bruna's I can help better understand how to produce work such as this. One day I too hope to illustrate for a children's book for my family and I have a story we have group up with over the years. How wonderful would it be to see your thoughts turn into a reality.
Kurt Hauert
"Kurt Hauert was born on July 19, 1924 in Aarau, Switzerland. In the early of his education he studied mathematics and science before he enter the foundation course at the AGS (Allgemeine Gewerbeschule Basel known as Basel School of Design). From 1946 to 1949, he studied in major a teaching degree in drawing, writing, and handicraft. in 1949, he move to Paris to study copperplate printing and etching."
I love the simplicity of Hauert's work. He takes a form, such as a chair, and strips it down to a minimum, your eyes just recognizing it from the obvious qualities left behind. I also enjoy his use of the san serif font, playing off of its smooth edges to create typographic boxes. Your eye fills in the spaces and sees the packaged font as a group. I enjoy how he has played with this.
Rene Burri
"René Burri was born on the 9th of April 1933 in Zurich, Switzerland. He started his education at the Zurich School of Arts and Crafts under Hans Finsler who gifted Burri his first Leica camera. The strict formalist of Finsler's style still influence Burri's work. He also learned typography course under typographer Alfred Willimann for three-year-long course. In 1955, He worked with Magnum agency,a first prime agency for photojournalist worldwide founded by Robert Capa, David Seymour, Henri Cartier Bresson, George Rodger and William Vandivert. In 1959, Burri became a full member."
Photography has always captivated me. And Burri's photos are no exception. His work involves a study of contrast, and that is evident in all of his photos. Being black and white, the reader notices the subtle changes in light and the subject colors. I particularly love his image of the train at the station, with it's steam being released into white smoke. His cropped angle provides a mood of adventure in a bustling environment.
Paul Himmel
"Paul Himmel was born on April 1, 1914 in New Haven, Connecticut. In 1923, Himmel met Lillian Bassman for the first time and later on they were married in 1935. In 1932 he finished his degree in Science and started to teach. In 1945, he started working as a professional photograper and a year later he studied photography and graphic journalism at the New School under Brodovitch."
Himmel's study of the human body is very intriguing as he plays not only with the form of the limbs, but also the distortion of the camera/focus. He manipulates both variables which is quite interesting. He also captures crowd shots, showing motion. This quality I hope to somehow bring into my work: to be able to use the computer to manipulate my work in a positive light, and to provide motion even though my designs will be 2D.
Paul Himmel
"Armando Milani was born in Milan on October 11 1940. He studied at Scuola Umanitaria in Milan under Albe Steiner from 1957-1962 and then worked successively for Ufficio Grafico Roche, Studio Giulio Confalonieri and Studio Boggeri. In 1970, he established his own studio in Milan. In 1977, he moved to New York and collaborated with Massimo Vignelli for two years before he open his own studio. He is specialized in branding programs, design of logos, corporate identity programs, book design and posters."
I find that I enjoy the organic, yet geometric designs when they are paired together. What I mean by this is that I enjoy the simple, yet bold elements a designer is able to produce when they have been in the field long enough. This is why I truly love the work of Himmel. He is able to take such simple geometric shapes and turn them into unrecognizable, solid, images that pop off the page.
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