The Vignelli Canon is a short reference book on communication and typography by Massimo Vignelli, the founder of Vignelli Associates along with his wife Lella in 1971 . Probably most known for such work as the signage system for the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority, the corporate identity for American Airlines and package design for IBM. If you have seen the documentary Helvetica you most likely remember Mr. Vignelli as the first designer interviewed in the film. The Vignelli Canon shares theories and principles  of typography extracted from over 50 years of Mr. Vignelli’s experience as a graphic designer.

If you haven’t already already downloaded the book, provided free in PDF form from Vignelli Associates, I highly recommend getting it. It is a concise 96 pages and can be read easily in one or two sittings but still retains a great deal of depth despite its relative brevity. I would gladly read a book three times in length but still this an amazing resource offered for free so I have no reason to complain.

Download The Vignelli Cannon

Massimo Vignelli Biography from vignelli.com:

Massimo Vignelli, born in Milan, studied architecture in Milan and Venice. He came to the United States from 1957 to 1960 on fellowships from Towle Silversmiths in Massachusetts and the Institute of Design, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago. In 1960, with Lella Vignelli, he established the Vignelli Office of Design and Architecture in Milan.

In 1965, Massimo Vignelli became co-founder and design director of Unimark International Corporation. With Lella Vignelli, he established the offices of Vignelli Associates in 1971, and Vignelli Designs in 1978. His work includes graphic and corporate identity programs, publication designs, architectural graphics, and exhibition, interior, furniture, and consumer product designs for many leading American and European companies and institutions.

Mr. Vignelli has had his work published and exhibited throughout the world and entered in the permanent collections of several museums; notably, the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Cooper-Hewitt Museum in New York; the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Montreal; and the Die Neue Sammlung in Munich. Mr. Vignelli has taught and lectured on design in the major cities and universities in the United States and abroad. He is a past president of the Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGl) and the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AlGA), a vice president of the Architectural League, and a member of the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA). Two feature-length television programs on the Vignellis’ work have been aired worldwide. A monographic exhibition of the Vignellis’ work toured Europe between 1989 and 1993, and was featured in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Helsinki, London, Budapest, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Munich, Prague and Paris.

A selection of work from Vignelli Associates:

New York Metropolitan Transit Authority Public Transportation System 1966/2008:

American Airlines corporate identity (1967):

IBM Package Design (1984):

Audubon Society Nature Guide book design (1976-1978):

United States Bicentennial Poster (1976):

Saks Fifth Avenue packaging (1978):

Kroin corporate identity and interior design (1981-1985):

(images from vignelli.com)