Giovanni Pintori Olivetti – Moleskin Books
This is an example of the kind of book I would imagine is only purchased by Graphic Designers or illustrators, due to its very polarised content. Thats not a bad thing, of course, quite the opposite. And for the designer at least, it makes it all the more impactful as you work way through its glossy pages. Like running your eyes over the perfect portfolio, it shows us a man on a mission, a mission to bring his chosen brand to the masses and into our homes.
Giovanni Pintori was a designer born in Italy and known almost exclusively for his work with classic typewriter company Olivetti, yep, this book does what it says on the cover, as my old tutor Ian Noble would often say.
Pintori became the art director of Italian company Olivetti in 1950, and reigned supreme over its visual identity until 1967. This a good couple of decades worth of amazing, dynamic and very playful illustrative design, and I’m pretty sure most of it must be included here. I guess you might call it specialist, but for me it was a must have, as its a real insight into the working life of a true master of his craft. I’d been screen grabbing the Olivetti work for a number of years, so to find a well produced volume packed full of his images was a treat.
Like Reid Miles, we instantly associate Pintori with the company he represented [his Olivetti to Miles Blue Note records], and as he operated in a time period where design was seemingly free from the constraints placed upon it by clients with limited aesthetic awareness, a book like this is a visual delight. His use of colour and geometric shapes, and minimalistic style, is classic mid-century, and this bad boy sits alongside the work of Saul Bass, Max Huber, and Paul Rand on my book shelf.
You might not see this book as a must have, but to say the least it’s an impressive collection of work. The way Olivetti promoted its products was an art form in itself. And the punchy colour and shape dynamic used throughout their campaigns have definitely given them a significant place in design history.
In a very unique way. I guess the main achievement is that Olivetti and Pintori showed us how to take a design ethos way beyond just selling a product. A blue print for many companies that followed.
Clive Johnston 