LELLA VIGNELLI (1934-2016) was born in Udine, Italy. She received a degree from the School of Architecture, University of Venice, and became a registered architect in Milan in 1962. In 1958, she received a tuition fellowship as a special student at the School of Architecture, MIT, Cambridge.
In 1960, Ms. Vignelli with Massimo Vignelli, she established the Vignelli Office of Design and Architecture in Milan. In 1965, she became head of the interiors department for Unimark International Corporation in Milan and in New York (1966). In 1971, Vignelli Associates was established, where Lella Vignelli was initially Executive Vice President, and is now CEO. Seven years later, they formed Vignelli Designs, a company dedicated to product and furniture design, of which she is President.
Ms. Vignelli’s work is widely featured in design publications in the United States and abroad. Examples of her work have been included in the permanent collections of numerous museums, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Montreal, and Die Neue Sammlung in Munich. Lella Vignelli is a frequent speaker and juror for national and international design organizations. She is a member of the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AlGA), the International Furnishings and Designer Association (IFDA), and the Decorators Club of New York.
MASSIMO VIGNELLI, (1931-2014) born in Milan, studied architecture in Milan and Venice. Co-founder and President of Vignelli Associates and Chief Executive Officer of Vignelli Designs in New York. His work includes corporate identity programs, publication design, architectural graphics, exhibitions, furniture, and consumer products. His work has been published and exhibited throughout the world and in the permanent collections of several museums: MoMa, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Cooper-Hewitt Museum. Among His many awards: the 1973 Industrial Arts Medal of the American Institute of Architects (AIA); the 1983 AIGA Gold Medal; and The Brooklyn Museum Design Award for Lifetime Achievement, 1995.