Design: Vignelli exhibition, Rochester, NY. Corporate Identity Programs

View of the "Design: Vignelli" exhibition, Benetton Galleries, Vignelli Center for Design Studies, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, United States. The "Design: Vignelli" exhibition opened in 2010 at the Vignelli Center for Design Studies, which is also home to their entire professional archives. The exhibition mirrors the "Design: Vignelli" exhibition which toured nine countries between 1989-1993. As with the previous iteration, Lella Vignelli and Massimo Vignelli designed the displays, wrote the descriptive text, and curated the artifacts for the exhibition. It is the last exhibition designed by the Vignellis that is still open to the public. Pictured: Benetton and Sisley Corporate Identity, Manual of Graphic Standards (1996)

Text from design: Vignelli exhibition label:
Benetton Corporate Identity
Manual of graphic standards
Italy 1996
In 1995 we were asked to design a new Corporate Identity for Benetton and related Companies of the Group. We began to set up a design office, hire good designers, and computerized the whole office. Every identification need as analyzed and designed to for in a consistent graphic program. Luciano Benetton, the founder of the Company, took a personal interest in the design of this program and participate daily on its development. It was a great experience and a very pleasant one. We retained the existing logo, but restructured it, to give more tension to its details. Since we believe in certain equities, we retained the color green as the Company chromotype. We designed a whole set of structures to accommodate all kind of communication needs. The program has been applied worldwide since 1996.

SISLEY Corporate Identity Manual of Graphic Standards
Italy 1996
At about the same time of the Benetton projects, we were asked to design a new Corporate Identity for SISLEY, a Company that is part of the same Group. To differentiate from Benetton’s colorful image, we chose black as the Company chromotype, and we designed a logo accordingly. The black band of the logo is positioned in the center of any ad, poster, or other displays, building a strong brand image.