Pierluigi Cerri obtained his degree at the "Politecnico" University of Milan. In 1974 he co-founded the Gregotti Associati firm. He has been editor-in-chief at magazines such as Casabella and Rassegna. He has improved image of the Kunst-und Ausstellungshalle of Bonn, Germany, and he was the director for the image of Palazzo Grassi in Venice. He has designed many spaces in the most important museums: the IDZ in Berlin, the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Palazzo a Vela in Torino, the Design Zentrum in Stuttgart and Berlin, the Sogetsu Kaikan in Tokyo, the Lingotto in Turin, the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo of Madrid, the Accademia di Brera in Milan, the Science Museum of London, the Kunst-und Austellungshalle in Bonn, the Palazzo Grassi in Venice, the Palazzo Reale in Milan, the Nationalgalerie in Berlin, the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, the Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris, the Triennale of Milan.

Along with the Gregotti & Associati firm he won many architectural contests among which stand the Cultural Centre of Bélem in Lisbon, and the transformation of the Pirelli Area at the Bicocca in Milan.

In 1998, together with Alessandro Colombo, he renovated "Palazzo Marino alla Scala" and he designed the new Trussardi sale points. He designed the cruise liners "Costa Classica", "Costa Romantica", and "Costa Victoria"; he designed the visual identity for the worlwide Italian championship "Italia 90", Ferrari Auto, Lingotto, Pitti Immagine, Unifor, iGuzzini e Fratelli Guzzini, Palazzo Grassi, Pirelli and Saras. In 1994 he received the Award for Good Idustrial Design from the Industrial Forum Design of Hannover; additionally, in 1995 he won the "Compasso d'Oro" (Golden Compass) for designing the graphic image of Unifor.

In 1998 Pierluigi Cerri founded the Cerri & Associati firm where he works in the field of architecture, industrial, graphic and interior design, and naval design. The partners, Pierluigi Cerri and Alessandro Colombo coordinate a staff of 25 people that are architects, designers and graphic designers. Some of the firm's projects include the project of redevelopment for the Fiera di Bologna exhibit area. In 2000 he won the contest for the renovation of the Palazzo Rosso Museum in Genoa. In 2001 the firm has received the "Compasso d'Oro" for designing the table "Titano" commissioned by Poltrona Frau. He has also designed the Prada America's Cup image and the graphics for the Teatro Arcimboldi. For FontanaArte he designed many products such as the lamps Mozia, Nuova Sergno, Orio, Sara and the Orio table.