Comments on: The Vignelli Twelve

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 12 May 2010 22:18:37 +0000

I agree with Vignelli, 12 typefaces is enough.

However 12,000 is nice.

We could create all of the great works of literature with 12 typefaces and no designer would ever* need more than 12 fonts.

12 is plenty, it’s just nicer to have more.

I get the feeling Vignelli is simply pointing to the sometimes less obvious choice of less, that somehow forces us to be more creative.

*there are exceptions I guess.

By: Drew Beamer

Drew Beamer — Wed, 12 May 2010 15:02:04 +0000

Fundamentally I want to agree with Vignelli. It does make sense that if you picked out the best type from serif and sans, then you would come up with just a few really great ones. But what about that new type that you find and just fall in love with that lowercase a, or the way the decenders act. It is unfair to say that you should only use 12 typefaces. Given, there a great deal of really horrible ones out there, but the number 12 is just too low for the good ones. Perhaps there are 20-30 great ones, 50 cool ones. The point is, yes there are not very many usable typefaces compared to all the ones out there, but 12 is just too low of a number.

By: Barry A. Smith

Barry A. Smith — Fri, 07 May 2010 22:35:50 +0000

Awful challenging to deny Vignelli’s cred and depth of thinking. Seems a common thread in these comments acknowledges his many contributions to the trade (I’m a fan of his Mod plastic picnicware). Unfortunately, taken at face value, the opportunity for criticism is low hanging fruit. But for the what it’s worth column, what I’ve always heard when Massimo speaks about this 12 font max thing (keep in mind, this is not a particularly new subject) is more about sticking to 12 fonts that work than anything else Yes, he claims 12 of his own in context, but in a broader sense his thinking is sound. To communicate what I believe he is getting at, you might say instead…: “use 12 fonts only.” You pick ‘em. But then the point would be to challenge yourself, and be disciplined enough to allow the fonts to do the heavy lifting. Like many designers, I have a handful of fonts that I enjoy using more than others, which change every now and again. Interestingly, I have noticed the times I start searching for fonts outside that short list is very often the times I find myself tripped up creatively. I bet Massimo understands the exceptions raised, and I suggest his point isn’t meant as narrowly as he states it. And even if it is, the part about having a more disciplined and intentional approach to design in general as opposed to a font-of-the-week mentality might even serve the most gluttonous font consumers well.

By: Alessandro Mingione

Alessandro Mingione — Sat, 01 May 2010 20:31:59 +0000

“Taking his statement at face value, imagine a Vignellian world in which only twelve typefaces exist…”
Everyone has his own philosophy, which is like this because there is a context. With a different context, most of the times people would have a different opinion.

By: Stella

Stella — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 14:20:18 +0000

morreau,

Thank you for sharing this link. Excellent article!

By: morreau

morreau — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 05:39:57 +0000

A great read is from Michael Bierut about his time working at Vignelli. "For the first ten years of my career, I worked for Massimo Vignelli, a designer who is legendary for using a very limited number of typefaces. Between 1980 and 1990, most of my projects were set in five fonts: Helvetica (naturally), Futura, Garamond No. 3, Century Expanded, and, of course, Bodoni. "

By: Glenn Fourier

Glenn Fourier — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 21:45:53 +0000

Rather than focusing on what number he is saying, look at the overall philosophy. It’s about the overall layout, not the look of the typeface itself.

Focusing on 12 is a strawman. It’s about the layout, not about any specific number.

By: Guest Post: Principles / Top 5 « Matchstic Blog

Guest Post: Principles / Top 5 « Matchstic Blog — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 10:01:43 +0000

[…] incredible feat. If you’d like to hear more from the man himself, you can hear him speak here. Michael Beirut, perhaps one of the most recognized designers today, was once Massimo […]

By: Giorgetta McRee

Giorgetta McRee — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 02:51:38 +0000

Colin,

Well put!
At this point those who are trying to explain what the Maestro “meant” to those of us who dare to disagree with what he actually “said” have used up their quota of 12 tedious excuses.

By: Colin

Colin — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 02:27:40 +0000

re:Lawrence and Stella …

Well, I should point out that Vignelli wasn’t talking about general restrictions. He’s saying, specifically, that there are only about 12 good typefaces total, period, and that to consider any others is a waste of time. It is that specificity that is putting the wind up everyone’s bloomers.

After all, if my twelve preferred typefaces are different than his, am I suddenly a irresponsible designer? Does it mean that, one day, the heavens opened up and let loose only 12 perfect, flawless font faces, and the rest should be relegated to the garbage can?

That’s what people are railing against - Vignelli’s specificity when it comes to type-faces. If he had just said, “Yeah, I find it good to have restrictions and limitations” I don’t think there would have been any blog post about it, nor any replies. It would be either “meh”, that’s his opinion, or “wow”, that’s great advice!