Vignelli Canon

Summary:

-Semantics: The meaning and purpose behind what we are designing. Why? The search of the meaning.

-Syntactics: The language used in the design, appropriate design, layout, language etc.

-Pragmatics: Understanding what we are designing in order to communicate it properly and thoroughly. The reasons behind doing it.

-Discipline: Paying attention to each tiny detail; its what makes the design. Every thing needs some form of discipline; have rules! don't let it be too free.

-Appropriateness: Finding the right solution to the problem we are designing for so that we don't go off on the wrong concept. Find the right things.

Ambiguity- Being unsure; sometimes that is what is needed in order to improve and get the best possible design. A rocky journey is a good thing sometimes.

-Be able to design anything in order to be a good designer.

-Everything needs order

-Visual power: Has to have reasoning behind it; can't just be aesthetically pleasing. Needs visual strength as well.

-The design needs meaning and essence.

-Responsibility: The most appropriate solution for the problem; its our responsibility to find it as a designer. Its another form of discipline.

-Sometimes the smallest tweaks to a design can make the biggest impact (e.g. when updating a famous logo)

-Important things to always consider when designing; paper size, grids, symmetry and layout.

-"When you write dog, the type should bark" Give everything personality!

-Most important elements in typography is the relationship between scale and size

-When designing; white makes the black sing.

-Texture; each choice of material will give a different effect. Play.

-Importance of white space

-Get the right balance between identity and diversity. Too much diversity= fragmentation.

In conclusion, I do agree with Vignelli's argument to some extent, but not fully. The part that I do not fully agree with needing rules for everything; for example he talks a lot about getting the right grid size, scales of text against headings, paper size, layout etc. I think sometimes not having rules/breaking the rules is what can make a design. Doing the opposite of what is right is sometimes what is needed in order to make your design different and unique; stepping outside of the box. I think this may be because he has more of a traditional style of working, rather than modern techniques and styles. However, this book was a good read as it helped me understand some of the basic research and steps needed before and when designing something in order for it to be successful.