RIT Press rapidly reaches fundraising goal for Vignelli book reissue

A book filled with the timeless design values and lessons in the form of words and beautiful images perfectly balancing one another is coming back to life.

And RIT Press is orchestrating the resurrection.

Vignelli: From A to Z is a vast collection of the thoughts and work of internationally renowned designers Massimo and Lella Vignelli, who are remembered for their expertise in modern design. The book that shares their insights was released in 2007 but quickly went out of print. Today, copies are scarce and extraordinarily expensive, with prices ranging from around $400 to figures in the thousands.

But through a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter aimed at reissuing the work, RIT Press will soon make the treasured publication much more available again for Vignelli diehards, design aficionados, professors, students and everyone in between. With its initiative reaching the capital goal in short order, RIT Press plans to reprint Vignelli: From A to Z.

The Kickstarter link went live on May 2 and the $20,000 objective was hit just 16 days later.

The fundraiser will remain up until the morning of June 1 for further contributions.  

“RIT Press is delighted by and appreciative of the strong support for its unique crowdfunding campaign that returns Vignelli: From A to Z to print,” said Bruce Austin, director of RIT Press. “The campaign met its goal in two weeks. The four highest-level rewards all sold out within days of launching the campaign.”

Due to the effort’s substantial success, the celebrated modern-design book will reveal the Vignellis’ spirit and their emphasis on discipline, responsibility and education to a larger crowd.

The book is organized in alphabetical order, with key words serving as the chapters and describing the Vignellis’ approach to various subjects. For example, the “A for Ambiguity” section greets readers after the cover is turned.

Donate to the campaign and/or view a three-minute video about Vignelli: From A to Z’s impact on and importance to RIT faculty and other professionals.