Louise fili ltd is a graphic design studio that offers unique and elegant solutions to all things related to food, books, and culture, including brand strategy and development for restaurants and specialty food packaging. Her style is characterized by graceful, calligraphic elegance, bringing together old and new to create contemporary forms in typography. Between 1978 and 1989 she designed close to 2,000 beautifully unique book jackets as art director of pantheon books. When louise fili sits down to create a restaurant logo, she pencils the restaurants name over and over on tracing paper until, many pages later, a. Louise fili designs with unmatched grace and elegant craftsmanship, unifying. Born of italian parents, louise fili travels obsessively to europe, particularly italy and france, where she collects design inspiration of all kinds, photographing shop signage, combing flea markets, and collecting food packaging. Fili later became a freelancer at knopf working on picturebooks, where she.
Louise fili photographs parisian signs in her book. New york designer louise fili has made a career of finding elegant design solutions often influenced by european modernism and a love affair with food, but when it comes to logos theres nothing she likes more than cleaning up other peoples mess. Louise fili has been an inspiration for designers around the world since the when she raised the bar on book cover design, creating close to two thousand jackets as art director for pantheon bo gift guide. Everything looks better in montecatini, from book jackets to monog. In 1989 fili founded her own graphic design studio, louise fili ltd, and branched out into the fields of restaurant and food packaging design. The font features distinctive ligatures typical of the time when art nouveau emerged as a worldwide phenomenon. Formerly senior designer for herb lubalin, fili was art director of pantheon books for eleven years, where she designed over 2000 book jackets. A historical collection of cuban design from the 1920s to the revolution in 1959. A book cover design company who create professional and beautiful book covers, working with clients from around the globe and for all genres of book.
A far cry from the days when she designed book jackets. In the mid1950s, sva took to the platforms of new york citys subway with advertising posters that were both. Louise fili is director of louise fili ltd, a new yorkbased design studio specializing in branding for food packaging and restaurants. From her design studio overlooking bustling midtown manhattan, graphic designer louise fili has spent the better part of the last three decades building a small empire that some have called the envy of every designer. Fili is recognised for her intense attention to detail, fresh reinterpretaion of vintage sources and her. See more ideas about louise fili, typography and graphic design studios.
Fili, who opened her studio in 1989 after working as the art director of pantheon books for more than 10 years, has an unmistakable style informed by. Inside the business of illustration, steven heller, marshall arisman. Everything looks better in montecatini, from book jackets to. See more montecatini takes its cues from the elegant stile liberty travel posters of italy in the early 1900s. New york city based graphic design studio specializing in restaurant branding, logos, food packaging, hand lettering and typography. In many ways, the book is a straightforward look at the artistry behind italys most eccentric signage. Based in new york, fili is the founder of louise fili ltd, and she certainly knows a thing or two about brand building and the critical importance of design. Her work often draws on inspiration from her love of italy, modernism, and european art deco styles. Print magazine, one of the worlds most revered graphic design publications, turned 75. She is in the art directors hall of fame, and is also a teacher and an wellpublished author. Louise fili is an american graphic designer who grew up in an italianamerican family in new jersey.
After two years of developing her own expressive style. Design legend louise fili photographs the gorgeous. Yeah, at least youll know greater than others that dont. She heads louise fili ltd, a graphic design studio that offers unique and elegant solutions to all things related to food, books, and culture, including brand development for restaurants and specialty food packaging. Culled from steven heller and louise filis popular international deco series of inspirational reference books, the material in euro deco comes from italy, spain, the uk, germany, france, and the netherlands, primarily between wwi.
We discuss how she discovered her niche, her logo design process, typography design, her incredible books and so much more. Her influence in new york city is everywhere from restaurants and subways to nearly every corner bodega in manhattan. How graphic design legend louise fili became the envy of. Louise fili shares her words of wisdom from 40 years as a. Louise fili elegantissima and the 2012 hall of fame design. Graphics from the great white way, vicki gold levi, steven heller. Louise fili dieline is a bespoke creative platform that exists to serve the packaging community. Louise filis inspiring type of graphic design logoworks blog. The work certainly represents her elegantissima style, as detailed in her latest book, elegantissima. Considered a leader in the postmodern return to historical styles in book jacket design, fili explores historic typography combined with modern colors and. In the 1980s louise fili raised the bar on book cover design, creating more than two thousand inspiring jacket designs as art director for pantheon books. Read louise filis bio and get latest news stories and articles. Book jackets for pantheon books, art direction and design by louise fili. Filis work currently focuses on restaurant identity, foodrelated logos and packaging.
Louise fili is a former senior designer for herb lubalin, now running her own design studio where she specializes in packaging, logo and book design. Design legend louise fili photographs the gorgeous typography of italy fili shares her threedecade love affair with italys typography and vintage. Formerly senior designer for herb lubalin, fili was art director of pantheon books from 1978 to 1989, where she designed close to 2,000 book jackets. Louise fili designs with unmatched grace and elegant craftsmanship, unifying old and new to create contemporary forms in typography. The memorial gallery at farmingdale state college presents louise fili, a worldrenowned graphic designer who has created over 2000 book covers and countless logos, packaging and signage that have been seamlessly woven into our everyday lives. Shes been designing book covers since the 70s as art director of pantheon, and founded her own studio in new york in 1989. Connect with users and join the conversation at architectural digest. Her story plays out like a romantic movie, opening on a young girls dreamy eyes as she stares at the starry sky of a billboard, with a couple kissing and a single word she would find impossible to forget. In 1989 fili founded her own graphic design studio, louise fili ltd, and branched out. School of visual arts will honor louise fili with the 28th annual masters series award and exhibition. A conversation with critically acclaimed designer louise fili arts atl. Themed book lists 15 books on art deco october 21, 2014. Here are some lettering and typography books from my shelves.
In 1989 fili founded her own graphic design studio, louise fili ltd, and. Louise fili is an italian american designer who has been in the field since the 1980s. Louise fili shares her words of wisdom from 40 years as a designer louise fili centre with some of her team in a custom larte del gelato car following her logo makeover for the brand. A sprawling compendium of art deco design from across europe, euro deco features a broad range of exemplary graphic ephemera. We have had the opportunity to design hundreds of logos over these three decades. Considered a leader in the postmodern return to historical styles in book jacket design, fili.
Louise fili will be the first comprehensive retrospective of her fortyyear career and include book jacket, branding, food packaging, and restaurant identity work. Fili was art director of pantheon books for eleven years, where she designed close to 2000 book jackets. Heller and filis books are an absolute goldmine when it comes to typography and ornament. Graphic design luminary louise fili on her obsession with. Elegant lettering from designs golden age by steven heller and louise fili. Mfa design and bfa design faculty member louise fili is no stranger to the demands of the new york city subway. Louise fili has been an inspiration for designers around the world since the 1980s, when she raised the bar on book cover design, creating close to two thousand jackets as art director for pantheon books.
For celebrated graphic designer and incessant flaneur louise fili, its the citys dazzling signage. Two thousand book jackets later, in 1989, i opened my own studio, louise fili ltd, making a conscious decision to focus on my passions for food, typography, and all things italian. Starting in her early 20s, louise fili spent years wandering the streets of paris, photographing the beautiful old signs she saw along the way. Montecatini takes its cues from the elegant stile liberty travel posters of italy in the early 1900s. This letter could not influence you to be smarter, but the book shadow type. The lover, 1985, with lettering by craig decamps and the victorian fairy tale book. The lover was a runaway bestseller pantheons first since dr zhivago in 1958. How graphic design legend louise fili became the envy of every designer. Last week, the college released her third sva subway poster, which can be found in stations throughout the new york city system. All of them are fantastic for reference and inspiration, whatever your skill level. Louise fili is a new yorkbased graphic design firm specializing in food packaging, restaurant identities, logos, and book design. Classic threedimensional lettering, by steven heller, louise fili.
Louise fili is at the top of my list, as well as the list of so many other professionals. Born on april 12, 1951, in orange, new jersey, louise fili displayed early graphic art skills by carving letterforms into her bedroom wall as a youngster. This was a design genre that had just started to emerge. She much of her early work was with book covers and illustrations, designing almost two thousand book jackets. The ornate style promoted by the 1925 paris exposition dramatically affected design down to the most. Considered a leader in the postmodern return to historical styles in book jacket design, fili explores historic. We at louise fili ltd are proud to celebrate our 30th year of creating custom typography for restaurants, food packaging, books and fonts thank you to all the talented designers who have passed through our doors, and to our clients for the creative freedom we craveand for staying in business. She and her husband, steven heller, have coauthored numerous books on different art styles and graphic design. Fili, who opened her studio in 1989 after working as the art director of pantheon books for more than 10 years, has an unmistakable style. The lover, 1985, with lettering by craig decamps and the victorian fairy tale book, 1988, with illustration by john craig. Her work is now showcased in her new book, elegantissima. Recognized for impeccable craftsmanship, elegant use of typography and designing with a passion and focus that is the envy of every designer.
Louise fili has coauthored fourteen design books with steven heller. The design icon lunched with 99u at via carota in the west village, whose logo she created for its launch in 2015, to talk about why your studios name matters, the reason your clients person in charge must be present at all meetings, and what happens when you serve gelato at your studio presentations. Louise fili mermaid inn is a charming restaurant in the style of a seafood shack. Books elegantissima the design and typography of louise fili louise fili. Louise has written numerous other books, with and without her husband steven heller. How graphic designer louise fili creates timeless logos. On this weeks episode ian interviews louise fili, an italianamerican graphic designer whos specialised in brand development for food packaging and restaurants for the past 30 years. The signs of paris, explores the citys unique signage. Classic threedimensional lettering, by steven heller, louise fili that we offer will evoke you to be smarter. Louise fili is director of louise fili ltd in new york, specializing in food packaging and restaurant identities. Louise fili on a life in food and design design week.