Good Design Lasts Longer

A new Knoll Design showroom just opened down the street from my office. It's a gorgeous, home design showroom showcasing the company's classic pieces of office furniture and design.
On their windows, they have the Knoll logo in matte gold.

I have always loved the Knoll logo. I love its simplicity. Its form. It has the right amount of stroke and kerning. It's bold and so adaptable. Traits that all logos should have.

It also reminded of how timeless Massimo Vignelli's work is. Vignelli designed the logo back in 1972.  46 years in design is timeless in my book.
As a child (I was born in 1972) I gravitated toward design. I would like to believe I gravitated toward good design.
Children can tell if something is badly designed because it does not serve them aesthetically or functionally. If they don't like it they don't want to use it or hold it or look at it. I see it with my kids every day. They also have an Apple device in their hands,  which sets such a high standard of function and design, that they invariably start comparing it to every other device they interact with.  Wait, I do that. Hmmm.

Good design serves a function. It appeals to your senses. It delights. It feels good. It provokes. It evokes. It also lasts.
Massimo Vignelli, arguably one of the most prolific designers of our generation, once said, "good design lasts longer."  Indeed it does. I look at Vignelli's past graphic design work and it always looks so fresh. His identity for American Airlines was used for over 45 years. How many major airlines do you know that have used the same brand identity unchanged for 45 years?

You don't have to look too far to see Vignelli's influence on Italian branding design. It seems every other Italian design firm is still using a form of Helvetica or Bodoni - two fonts forever associated with Vignelli.
One can only really appreciate the talents of a graphic designer after one toils day in and day out, year after year, navigating the trenches of client-designer relationships, presentations, revisions etc. Vignelli also said, "It's better to starve than have a bad client."  How timeless of him.

Bloomingdale's and Benetton. Pure examples of Vignelli's work standing the test of time.

What I love about Vignelli's work, much like Paul Rand's,  is how deceptively simple it is. And I know, to arrive at a simple solution is never an easy task. Simplicity is the product of intelligence, due diligence and "modest expectations", as Rand used to say.  All designers, including myself, strive for that timeless quality in our work. Impermanence will do that to ya.
I am just happy and grateful to drive down my street, look at the Knoll logo, and be gently reminded that  "Good Design Lasts Longer."

Massimo Vignelli