Design as (programmed) Art

Bruno Munari wrote: “In nature, everything changes. Trees take on different shapes, snakes shed their skins [...]. So it’s pointless for artists to try to create eternal works of art. Art has to keep renewing itself. Organic art will always be changing”.

The concept of change is ever-present in Munari’s work—in all its forms and across his artistic output—including his graphic design practice, which consistently revolves around visual elements in motion. In this volume, David Reinfurt, graphic designer and co-founder of The Serving Library, examines Munari’s projects in which design was conceived according to the principles of programmed art: from typography to layout to the use of color. Examples include the Campari poster for the Milan subway, as well as a series of book covers designed for Einaudi and Bompiani between the 1960s and 1970s.

Design as (programmed) Art adds to the Corraini Edizioni series I Quaderni di Spazio Munari, a collection of small vertical excavations and original insights that, building on research conducted in collaboration with Spazio Munari, help to see the work of Bruno Munari with fresh eyes.