I would like to start off this reflection by saying I admire how firm he is in his ideals and his emphasis on creating works that are clean and concise. To strip all things ornamental and to create a piece of work that focuses purely on communicating the message clearly is not something every designer is able to do, for the fear of being boring. And I do agree with the line “The content, not the designer, is what is screaming for attention.”. It brings to mind another manifesto that several designers adhere to, which is “Form follows Function”. The designs produced would then be consumer-centric, practical and timeless. Until maybe someone else comes up with a more refined design. 

However, I do not agree with how strictly Vignelli adheres to his ideology and criticises styles that do not follow his ideology. No doubt, content is king when creating designs however, it does not hurt when the designer puts in their own take on things. If a designer’s signature style of, say for example layouts, help to further drive the message home, it is not a bad design neither it is it junk or trash. Also, I do not really agree with his limited font choices. Sure, the fonts he listed are very good fonts, well designed and versatile. However, at the same time, they are too neutral and may not always help to further emphasise the message. Furthermore, take into consideration if we are designing for specific target audiences in mind. When designing for younger children, would Futura really be the best font to use? 

I do understand where Vignelli is coming from though. One must understand the history and how design came to be at where it is right now. Once must also know the rules before they come in and attempt to break them. I myself use the grid system when it comes to doing layouts and I find it immensely useful. Having a grid system in place might be seem as limiting but it helps guide new designers along. Also, it provides some kind of a boundary that forces us to think out of the box, to create designs that are interesting and exciting,