Nicolai Canetti
Nicolai Canetti, Canetti Design Group's Founder & Designer
For five decades, Nicolai Canetti, with an academic foundation in graphic design and photography, has contributed unparalleled creativity to the design world with innovative products, earning him the revered status as a true design pioneer.
Often hailed as a “renaissance man”, his passion for design permeates multiple disciplines ranging from graphic design and product design to photography. His eclectic career included design professor, advertising executive, publisher, photographer, and of course product designer.
Fluent in five languages, Canetti proudly embraces his identity as a global citizen, having lived and worked on four continents.
Nicolai Canetti revamped the aging category of timepieces through his iconic clock collections, ARTime and ModernTime. These collections revolutionized and set new industry standards that remain influential to date.
I.D. (International Design) Magazine declared, “Most industry insiders agree that his (Nicolai Canetti’s) ATC30 ARTime clock was the first of a dynamic new breed that has since shaped the business… and a lot of clock manufacturers have jumped on the Canetti style bandwagon,” while Discovery Magazine said, “Nicolai Canetti has created a piece of kinetic art that’s designed to revolutionize clock-watching for good.”
Many claimed that the ARTime Watch collection ignited the beginning of a new watch style era and I.D. Magazine again cemented that with, “There are so many watch lookalikes today. This Canetti watch is actually put together differently; it’s imaginative.”
Nicolai Canetti contributed innovation combined with function and aesthetics to many staled categories of consumer products such as cosmetics, desk accessories, lighting, working tools, chimes, games and many more. Many of these reimagined designs won international recognition and awards.
Nicolai Canetti was the first to design, produce and market functional personal bags and accessories specifically geared towards the untouched market of working women.
As Fairfield County Woman Magazine touted,“International designer, Nicolai Canetti, has created the first line of business accessories designed exclusively for women.”Another innovative contribution by Canetti was being amongst the first to utilize imitation leather materials, innovative textiles which today are common across the market and welcomed by environmental advocates.
The SoftPHONE is another significant innovation by Canetti from the 90s, an iconic, imaginative, and creative reinterpretation of the common plastic phone crafted completely from soft foam.The SoftPHONE material allowed for endless whimsical designs and colors, an enhancement to the standard, boring phone of the time.
As noted by Fortune Magazine, “Here is a telephone, the SoftPHONE by Canetti, that really makes a fashion statement.”
Nicolai Canetti founded the Canetti Design Group Inc. in 1980 in the vibrant heart of New York City, a sanctuary for creativity, innovation, and meticulous craftsmanship. Canetti designs are rooted in the belief that excellent designs should seamlessly integrate into everyday life, and reach all socio-economic levels.
He believed that function combined with aesthetics is the master key to a successful design. To expose his creations to the masses, he established the first ever design boutiques, catering to the category of lifestyle product within major department stores, such as, but not limited to: Bloomingdales, Macy’s, Dillards and Nordstroms.
Nicolai Canetti’s creative vision was also expressed through his photography, with over 15 books published on international subjects such as The Rodin Museum of Paris, The Landmarks of Boston, The Streets of New York, and The Parks, Squares and Mews of London. While living in Africa, he published books on elephants, lions, and Mount Kilimanjaro. Including such titles while in Kenya as “The Book of Lions, “The Book of Elephants”, and “ In the Shadow of Kilimanjaro”, as well as a collection of worldwide cities subjects such as, but not limited to “The Pavements of New York,” “The Rooftops of Paris,” and “The Streets of San Francisco.”
Earlier in his career, Canetti served as the Art Director at several publishing houses, such as “Madison Avenue,”a major magazine for the advertising industry, followed by“Single World Magazine” and others. One of the most successful publications Canetti created was a popular and funny little book called “Count Sheep”, which instead of words had hundreds of small little sheep to count.
Nicolai Canetti’s achievements have been acknowledged with numerous awards and citations of excellence. Among them, Industrial Design Magazine stated that“Nicolai Canetti is the leading manufacturer and distributor of contemporary clocks,”and awarded him with an Honorable Mention for his innovative ARTime clock design, while his ModernTime clocks received the American Graphic Design Award for Excellence. Notably, the award winning CANETTI logo designed in the 90s remains an iconic logo for the ages.
Nicolai Canetti's legacy is marked by international press coverage from around the world. This recognition led to prestigious accolades he earned when some of his product designs were selected for the permanent collections at several international museums, a testament to their enduring impact on the world of design. His products were and are also available for enjoyment through numerous museum shops worldwide.
Without the Internet, Google or mass media exposure present at the height of his career, write ups and awards are lost today. Nevertheless, Canetti’s legacy moves on.
In 2024, 40 years since his humble beginning, a selection of his iconic designs are being reproduced and celebrated in collaboration with New York City’s prestigious MoMA, and are now available for purchase directly through Canetti.
Today, Canetti celebrates over 40 years of design and innovation.
Proof of his designs coming of age, is the hard work and dedication to bringing original designs from the 1980s back as reissued and reproduced products. These products mirror and celebrate their original designs, which still feel bold today.
Canetti’s award-winning creations, while celebrated at international museums and professional institutions, are primarily aimed at enriching the lives of everyday consumers. They adorn every environment with functionality through elegance and imagination. Canetti continues to design and innovate with dedication to accessible, exceptional designs that ensure his creativity will echo across generations.