American Airlines graphic identity designed by Massimo Vignelli, circa 1967, 35mm slide, Unimark International Records

I am a self-proclaimed design preserver. I work with archives collections that are dedicated to documenting the work of designers. So naturally I think about design, design history, the role of designers and design in shaping our lives, and anything else you can connect to design and archives. In fact, I probably spend an unnatural amount of time considering design archives and their significance. I really want others to think about it as well. Design archives are rarely discussed in the archives field and are often considered too niche for conference proposals, but I think this is rather a shame. I mean, aren’t all archives really design archives?

"Designers take care of everything around us. Everything that is around us, this table, this chair, this lamp, this pen has been designed. All of these things, everything has been designed by somebody." 

- Massimo Vignelli

Images: Sugar packet, still full of sugar, Abrams & Strauss department store logo, by Vignelli, circa 1975; Bloomingdale’s packaging and typeface “Bloomingtype” designed by Massimo Vignelli, 1972; NYC Subway graphics standards manual excerpt, designed by Massimo Vignelli and Bob Noorda, 1966; Heller rainbow stacking dishware catalog page, designed by Massimo and Lella Vignelli, 1972

First of all, what do I mean when I talk about design? Design is everywhere. The book you are reading? Graphic Design. The chair you sit in? Industrial Design. The cup you drink from? Product Design. The building you work in? Architecture. Your favorite cardigan? Fashion Design. That cool dance club you frequent? Interior Design. Everything we wear, sit on, drive, eat from, drink from, and text with? All design. Yet we rarely think about it. It is nearly invisible to us. And so are the designers themselves. They are not credited the way authors, artists, musicians, and photographers are. So designers, even though our lives are touched by them daily, are not well known like rock stars or actors or artists.

"Everything is design. Everything!"

– Paul Rand

Harper’s Illustrated Handbook of Cats, designed by Massimo Vignelli, 1985; Feudi di San Gregorio wine labels, design by Vignelli Associates, 2001; Inside newspaper insert for The Herald (NYC), designed by Massimo Vignelli, 1971; Solari Cifra3 clock, graphics by Massimo Vignelli with Gino Valle, circa 1964, 35mm slide, Unimark International records

But design is literally everywhere and this includes archives. But exactly how does design show up in archives? Graphic Design, for example, can be rampant. Letterhead, business cards, forms, annual reports, advertising, newspapers, magazines, books, ephemera, brochures, logos/branding, are all examples design and appear in many archives. Consider photographs. Do you have images that include buildings? People wearing clothes? Cars? People eating and drinking? You can see examples of Design in all kinds of photographs. Do you have floor plans for your building? From the structure of a building to the design of the interiors, the furniture in the building, down to the smallest objects like your pencil, these items were designed. Never mind the virtual world. Our cell phones, laptops, apps, software interfaces, websites, fonts, and all the digital environments we interact with are design. Imagine if our online archives collections were so well designed we had more traffic than Amazon? Check your collections! I bet you will find the archives full of design!

#designarchives for Archives Month, design by Katie Nix, 2017

I recently tested the “all archives are design archives” idea by putting out a call for everyone to share their #designarchives on social media during the month of October aka American Archives Month. I figured if we can get archivists thinking about design, we could also get designers thinking about archives. And anyone else who might be interested in either. The response was great! 363 posts from 88 different accounts. Although it didn’t break the internet, the response came from a wide range of sources! Public libraries, designers, historical societies, art museums, non-design archives, and design fans posted their design archives! If you curious, the results are collected here: https://storify.com/VignelliCenter/celebrate-design-archives-for-american-archives-mo

Saratoga furniture set for Poltronova, designed by Lella and Massimo Vignelli, 1964; Knoll International furniture showroom, circa 1969; Casigliani Metafora 1 coffee table, designed by Lella and Massimo Vignelli, 1979; NYC Subway Guide, designed by Massimo Vignelli, 1970

A designer without a sense of history is worth nothing. – Massimo Vignelli

Even if all archives are design archives, why does this matter? Surely, I don’t think it is a gimmick to drive social media hits. But if design is everywhere and it touches our daily lives, then it must be important enough to preserve in archives, right? But who uses design archives or wants to study design in the archives? Does design in archives matter?

Design is about people, and about improving our lives. It is about visual literacy and creativity and innovation. What if the archives could, through design, make us better problem solvers and critical thinkers? Not just make a better chair or a prettier website for our enjoyment, but make a difference in our lives. What if studying design archives ultimately makes the world more comfortable to be in, easier to understand, and gives us a better life? What if design archives could change the world? Seriously, check your collections!  

Jennifer Whitlock is the Archivist at the Vignelli Center for Design Studies at Rochester Institute of Technology. Her project #Designarchives has so far seen contributions from places like The New School, Chicago Public Library, University of California, Berkeley, and Herman Miller.