Massimo Vignelli
Proust Questionnaire
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
A project well done
What is your greatest fear?
Oblivion
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
I did not find my alter ego...
Which living person do you most admire?
my wife...
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
I don't know
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Vulgarity
What is your greatest extravagance?
The pin I wear
What is your favorite journey?
Returning home
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Modesty
On what occasion do you lie?
When it may hurt others
What do you dislike most about your appearance?
Today, my neck
Which living person do you most despise?
GWB
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Terrific
What is your greatest regret?
Not to practice architecture
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
Design
Which talent would you most like to have?
Play piano
What is your current state of mind?
Great
If you could change one thing about your family, what would it be?
None
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Being able to do what I like
If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
A woman
If you could choose what to come back as, what would it be?
A practicing architect
What is your most treasured possession?
My pencil
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
(no response)
Where would you like to live?
New York
What is your favorite occupation?
Design
What is your most marked characteristic?
Stubbornness (they say)
What is the quality you most like in a man?
Intellectual elegance
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Class
What do you most value in your friends?
Reliability
Who are your favorite writers?
Goethe
Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
None
Who are your heroes in real life?
Mies van der Rohe
What are your favorite names?
Our children Luca, Valentina
What is it that you most dislike?
Vulgarity
How would you like to die?
At my desk
What is your motto?
If you can't find it, design it.