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.
Announcements
Total Armageddon: A Slanted Reader on Design edited by Ian Lynam
Total Armageddon: A Slanted Reader on Design
Edited by Ian Lynam
Publisher: Slanted Publishers
Published: March 2019
Total Armageddon is about design. And culture. And complexity, notably how we, as a global civilization, deal with science fiction, taste, social media, the cities we live in, aesthetics, PowerPoint, burkas, Big Tech, full-contact sports, and other thorny topics. The book celebrates 15 years of independent publishing and brings together a who’s who of authors and essays from 32 issues of Slanted Magazine.
A Field Guide to Color by Lisa Solomon
A Field Guide to Color: A Watercolor Workbook
By Lisa Solomon
Publisher: Roost Books
Published: August 2019
In this creative workbook you’ll discover fresh ways to connect with color in your art and life. Using watercolors, gouache, or any other water-based medium, explore color theory while playing with paint through a balanced blend of color experiments and loose color meditations. This inspiring workbook will change the way you relate to color
Five Oceans in a Teaspoon by Dennis Bernstein and Warren Lehrer
Five Oceans in a Teaspoon
Poems by Dennis Bernstein
Visualizations by Warren Lehrer
Introduction by Steven Heller
Publisher: Paper Crown Press
Published: September 19, 2019
“From a kidnap note for a world held hostage by an A-bomb, to a Holocaust survivor’s tattooed arms where the numbers just don’t add up, Five Oceans in a Teaspoon re-envisions a poetry memoir via a textual kaleidoscope... Bernstein and Lehrer are the Rodgers and Hart of Visual Poetry.” — Bob Holman, poet, poetry activist and chronicler, and founder of the Bowery Poetry Club
Ballpark: Baseball in the American City by Paul Goldberger
Ballpark: Baseball in the American City
By Paul Goldberger
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Published: May 2019
An illustrated, entirely new look at the history of baseball: told through the stories of the vibrant and ever-changing ballparks where the game was and is staged, by the Pulitzer Prize-winning architectural critic.
Charleston Fancy by Witold Rybczynski
Charleston Fancy: Little Houses and Big Dreams in the Holy City
By Witold Rybczynski
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: May 2019
Charleston, South Carolina, which boasts America’s first historic district, is known for its palmetto-lined streets and picturesque houses. The Holy City, named for its profusion of churches, exudes an irresistible charm. Award-winning author and cultural critic Witold Rybczynski unfolds a series of stories about a group of youthful architects, builders, and developers based in Charleston: a self-taught home builder, an Air Force pilot, a fledgling architect, and a bluegrass mandolin player.
Teaching Graphic Design History by Steven Heller
Teaching Graphic Design History
By Steven Heller
Publisher: Allworth Press
Published: June 2019
An examination of the concerted efforts, happy accidents, and key influences of the practice throughout the years, Teaching Graphic Design History is an illuminating resource for students, practitioners, and future teachers of the subject.
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