Bob Noorda
Bob Noorda | |
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Born | 15 July 1927 Amsterdam |
Died | 11 January 2010 (aged 82) Milan |
Occupation | Graphic designer |
Bob Noorda (July 15, 1927 – January 11, 2010) was a Dutch-born Italian
In addition to design practice, Noorda was a professor in graphic design at the Industrial Design School in Venice,
Mario Piazza notes that for Noorda, "a logo that worked was a simple sign, as easy to read as a child's picture book. It could be abstract or take the form of a monogram or pictogram, but it had to have immediacy, to be readily understood."[3] Noorda said of graphic design, "You can do graphic design anywhere, at a small desk as well as a big one. You don't need a lot of equipment, just a few pencils, and it takes your whole life".[7] The New York Times obituary of Noorda said he "helped introduce a Modernist look to advertising posters, corporate logos and, in the 1960s, the entire New York City subway system."[8]
Early life and education
Noorda was born in Amsterdam in 1927. He attended the Instituut voor Kunstnijverheidsonderwijs (IvKNO), the Institute for Education in the Applied Arts (now the Gerrit Rietveld Academie) and graduated in 1950.[9] The director at that time was the architect and urban planner Mart Stam, who had trained at the Bauhaus.[2] Noorda moved to Milan in 1954. He started to collaborate with Studio Sigla, one of the first advertising agencies based in Milan, as well as with Studio Boggeri, founded by Antonio Boggeri.[10] Noorda then entered Pirelli, and in 1961 became an art director there.[10]
Career
1950-60s
In Italy, Noorda gained fame for his design in the late 1950s and early 1960s for posters and advertisements for Pirelli.[9] In 1964 he won, together with Franco Albini and Franca Helg, the Compasso d'Oro, the most prestigious Italian award for design, for the Milan Metro station design.

As Giovanni Baule writes, "the Pirelli corporate identity was composed of essential visual elements that multiplied like components of a moveable alphabet and were used on diverse artifacts, creating a communication "style."[11]
Other notable works during this period include the catalogue for the
In 1965, Noorda and fellow Milan-based designer Massimo Vignelli were among the seven founders of Unimark International, an American design firm with offices around the world, including Chicago and Milan.[13]
1970s
In 1970, Bob Noorda and Massimo Vignelli developed the signage system for the NYC Transit Authority.
Other famous projects created during this period include the logo for
In 1979, Bob Noorda, together with Roberto Sambonet and Pino Tovaglia, received Compasso d'Oro for their logo and coordinated image for the Lombardy region.[15][16]

1980-2000s
While working for the Touring Club Italiano, Noorda renewed the logo, designed a coordinated image for different publications, including a system of pictograms. [17]
He received another Compasso d'Oro in 1984 for the coordinated graphic image for Fusital, a company that manufactures door handles. [18] Noorda also designed the 18th and 19th Milan Triennale (catalogue covers, signage, graphics).
Publications
- Cinzia Ferrara and Francesco E. Guida (eds.). "On the road. Bob Noorda: travelling with a graphic designer". Milan, Ed. Aiap, 2011. ISBN 978-88-902584-9-7
- Piazza, Mario, ed. Bob Noorda Design. Milan: Moleskine, 2015. ISBN 978-8867327645
References
- ^ Heller, Steven (January 23, 2010). "Bob Noorda Is Dead at 82; Designer Took Modernism Underground". The New York Times. Retrieved January 24, 2010.
- ^ ISBN 978-8867327645.
- ^ ISBN 978-8867327645.
- ^ "Bob Noorda, graphic design tra libertà e rigore". la Repubblica (in Italian). 2021-04-28. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
- ISBN 978-8867327645.
- ^ "Bob Noorda". IDEA associazione. Idea Associazione Italiana Exhibition Designers. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
- ISBN 978-8867327645.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-04-15.
- ^ a b "Bob Noorda 1927–2010". Display. Archived from the original on 2015-10-10. Retrieved 2010-01-24.
- ^ ISBN 978-8867327645.
- ISBN 978-8867327645.
- ISBN 978-8867327645.
- )
- ISBN 978-8867327645.
- ^ "REGIONE LOMBARDIA CORPORATE BRANDING". ADI Design Museum. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
- ISBN 978-8867327645.
- ISBN 978-8867327645.
- ISBN 978-8867327645.