Massimo Pitis

A graphic designer and art director, Massimo Pitis works in many areas of visual communication, including exhibition and book design and corporate and brand identity.

He arrived in Milan in 1991 after working in Bologna (BBDO) and New York (Armando Milani). He began a collaboration with Mirko Pajé, artistic director of Mediaset, focusing on graphic displays for major events for the Palazzo Grassi (Milan), including the Carnival of Venice. In 1995 he estrablished the Vitamina studio with Aldo and Giorgio Vitamina Buascalferri (MTV, Heineken, Sugar, Blu). He then became creative director for Landor Associates Italia (Banca IMI, Snaidero, Zegna).

Since 2000, he has collaborated with the Milan-based architecture firm Migliore + Servetto (Wallpaper, Elle, New York Times Magazine) and Mirko Zardini, Director of the Canadian Centre for Architecture, on various projects (Milan Triennale, Venice Architecture Biennale). In 2007, he created Studio Pitis, his own design agency and consultancy, dedicated in particular to editorial projects and visual identities (Matteo Thun, CCA Montreal, Corraini, Skira, Five Continents, Esperia, Morellato, John Frieda). In 2009, he represented Italy at the Gwangju Design Biennale (South Korea). In 2012 he created Lazy Dog Press (www.lazydog.eu) with Riccardo Bello, Luca Barcellona, and Debbie Bibo, an independent publisher, of which he is also art director.

Between 2000 and 2001, Pitis directed art-directed 15 issues of the graphic design magazine Lettera, a supplement to the architectural magazine Abitare. In 2001, he was awarded first prize by the Italian Art Directors Club, in the area of Corporate Identity, for his project “Blu” (mobile phone company).

Since 1999 he has been a member of the Association of Italian Graphic Designers (IAA), for which he served as president from 2005 to 2007. He has also served on many international juries for awards in Austria, the Czech Republic, and Spain, among other countries.

In addition to his work as a graphic designer, Pitis teaches at the Polytechnic University of Milan and the FDI, and is currently Professor of Visual Communication at the IUAV in San Marino.