Milan
Photography
his figurative experimentations dedicated – in typical Futurist fashion – to speed and mechanics lasts only about six years, and from 1935 he moves onto more abstract subjects, especially through photography; his first graphic works were shown in a collective exhibition at the Italian Pavilion of the “Arts et Techniques dans la Vie moderne” International Expo in Paris in 1937
Second World War
1940: is called up by the army at the beginning of the Second World War and is assigned as an Officer in charge of an aircraft-sighting course within the Sighting School; teaching others how to quickly spot moving shapes in a short timeframe led him to what will become the final essence of his work in visual analysis, in particular the interdependence between the eye and the mind
Jeanne Grignani
1942: marries Jeanne Michot, a fashion figure artist for brands of national importance who greatly supports him for years in a duo of close collaboration
Dompé
1947: becomes the Artistic Director of “Bellezza d’Italia”, the house organ of Dompé Farmaceutici, for which he designs until 1961 numerous covers and advertisements which are seen as a true revolution compared to other 1950s ads of romanticized work and family life
AGI
1952: the five founders of AGI, the “Alliance Graphique Internationale”, select the 60 best graphic designers in the world to create the first historic group: Grignani is invited from Italy together with Bruno Munari, Giovanni Pintori, and Erberto Carboni; from 1969 to 1981 he will be the president of the Italian section
Alfieri & Lacroix
1952: starts a 27 year-long fruitful cooperation with the renowned Italian printing company Alfieri & Lacroix, which allows him full creative freedom in carrying out the corporate advertising campaign
Triennale of Milan
1957: plans the overlay of the Graphics pavilion at the XI Triennale in Milan; among his clients of this period appear Montecatini – for which, in addition to many product ads (Ducotone, Meraklon, Moplen, Movil), he designs several pavilions at the “Fiera Campionaria” in Milan – and Montedison, Mondadori, Marzotto, Necchi, Pirelli, Fiat, Ermenegildo Zegna, Bassetti, Italfarmaco, Sandoz, Bayer…
Two hundred exhibits
from 1958 onwards, he exhibits his works in solo in the most-renowned galleries in Italy and abroad, and in a whole host of public institutions; he takes part in many collective exhibitions as well
Dream Team
1965: is called to sit beside Aldo Novarese, director of Nebiolo’s “Studio Artistico“, to collaborate on new typefaces with Pino Tovaglia, Giancarlo Iliprandi, Bruno Munari, Ilio Negri, Till Neuburg, and Luigi Oriani for over a decade
Vision 65
23/10/1965: as a lecturer, he participates in the “Vision 65” conference, officially called “Vision 65: World Congress on New Challenges to Human Communication”, at the Southern Illinois University of Carbondale
Typomundus 20
1967: receives the highly coveted recognition merit of the ICTA, the “International Center for the Typographic Arts” of New York, for the “Typomundus 20”
ED group
1968: participates – till 1976 – within the “Exhibition Design (ED) group“, founded by Silvio Coppola, with Giulio Confalonieri, Bruno Munari, Pino Tovaglia, and Mario Bellini with aims of research, design, and dissemination
Penguin Books
1968: is commissioned for the covers of sixteen science fiction novels for Penguin Books, to be published the following two years
STA
26/06/1973: is elected Honorary Member of the STA, the “Society of Typographic Arts of Chicago”
Even looking back on his work as a whole, it’s impossible to confine Grignani to a specific movement, not least because he made a point to be different from everyone else.
Despite his solitary research, he was one of the people who most influenced the studies and inquiries into visual perception, as well as international graphics.
The constant evolution of his graphic work, as well as the coherence of his method, have always aroused a keen interest among young graphic designers.