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.
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What is Universal Everything? edited by Adrian Shaughnessy and Tony Brook
What is Universal Everything?
Edited by Adrian Shaughnessy and Tony Brook; designed by Spin
Publisher: Unit Editions
Published: June 2019
Matt Pyke, founder and creative director of Universal Everything, calls his studio a “digital art and design collective.” Now, after 15 years of revolutionary work in the digital realm, the studio has its first book. For anyone interested in the future of digital design, the book features a unique cover for each copy of the book (limited to 2,000)—every buyer owns a one-off.
The Future of Design: Global Product Innovation for a Complex World by Lorraine Justice
The Future of Design: Global Product Innovation for a Complex World
by Lorraine Justice
Publisher: Nicholas Brealey
Published: June 4, 2019
Internationally recognized product design expert, TED speaker, and consultant to companies like Microsoft and Levi’s, shares the ten global factors that directly impact product design success and failure.
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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