His work spanned decorative art and design objects as well as furniture and he was also founder of Domus magazine in 1928. From 1936 to 1961 he taught at the Milan Polytechnic School and trained several generations of designers. Ponti also helped with the creation in 1954 of one of the most important design awards: the Compasso d’Oro prize.
Ponti was a major player in post-war design. His most famous works are the Villa Planchart in Caracas, the Superleggera chair and the Pirelli Tower in Milan for which he designed the Lama lever handle still available and produced by Olivari.