2011 Vignelli Design Award [concept]

Vignelli Design Award Concept

"In the fall 2010 the Rochester Institute of Technology completed the Vignelli Center for Design Studies. Here the archives of world-renowned designers, Massimo and Lella Vignelli, are housed in a facility dedicated to research and design.

My project is an award that could be used as a prize presented by the Center to honor remarkable individuals in the design world who follow in the footsteps of the Vignelli tradition. After researching the Vignelli philosophy and methodology, I determined that molded wood best represented the Vignelli’s iconic position. Molded wood has a classic sensibility and demonstrates the timelessness of modern design.

The structure I developed is composed of eight rings ranging in size from 246mm to 190mm in diameter, with a thickness of 3mm each. The rings are held together through the use of four hinges. These hinges allow the rings to collapse into themselves and expand into a spherical form. While in its spherical state, the viewer is able to see the name of the award and the seven points of the Vignelli design philosophy."

- Minhao Shi

Photography: Elizabeth Lamark