Louise Fili

Louise Fili

Photograph of Louise Fili by Henry Leutwyler
Born (1951-04-12)April 12, 1951
Orange, New Jersey
Nationality American
Education Skidmore College, School of Visual Arts
Known for Graphic design
Spouse(s) Steven Heller

Louise Fili (born in New Jersey on April 12, 1951) is an Italian-American graphic designer who is "recognized for impeccable craftsmanship, elegant use of typography and designing with a passion and focus that is the envy of every designer".[1] An AIGA 2014 medalist, Fili was always passionate about handwritten type. From an early age, she enjoyed creating her own letterforms, and taught herself calligraphy. Over the years, she has designed close to 2,000 book jackets, "proving again and again that design doesn’t have to shout to be noticed".[2]

Early Life

Louise Fili was born in 1951. Fili said she was “interested in design before [she] even knew what it was”. She recalls carving letterforms into her walls and designing book covers as a child.[3] When she was 16, Fili taught herself calligraphy. She went to Saratoga Springs, New York to attend Skidmore College and study studio art.[4]

Education

In 1973 Fili received a Bachelor of Science in studio art from Skidmore College, where she found her love for graphic design. Fili moved to New York City in 1973, interning at the Museum of Modern Art and finishing her degree at the School of Visual Arts.[4]

Career

She worked as a senior designer for Herb Lubalin from 1976–78, where she found type to be an expressive tool, which set the foundation for her later work.[4] Before working for Herb Lubalin, she worked on special book projects for Knopf.

From 1978–1989, she was the art director at Pantheon Books, where she eschewed standard fonts in favor of creating unique typographic treatments for each book jacket. The success of her jacket for Marguerite Duras’ bestseller, The Lover, in 1984, led to increased creative freedom at Pantheon. Fili designed close to 2,000 books during her tenure at the publisher.[4][5]

In 1989, she opened her own studio, Louise Fili Ltd, specializing in the design of restaurant identities and food packaging. “There were a few things I did know when I started my business. I knew I wanted to stay small and I always have. I also wanted to focus on the only three things that interest me: food, type, and all things Italian.” says Louise.[6] During that time, there were few female-run companies, so she knew naming the company after herself could be a liability. But she decided to send a clear message: "If you have a problem with my being female, then I don’t want you as a client.” [7] She has designed identities for many New York City eateries such as Picholine, Artisanal, The Mermaid Inn, and Via Carota, and has created packaging for Sarabeth’s, Tate’s, and Bella Cucina. Her geometric, often Cubist-looking designs show an affinity to European modernism, in particular, the work of Lucian Bernhard, A.M. Cassandre, Jean Carlu and Italian posters of the 1930s.

In 2014 Princeton Architectural Press published "Grafica della Strada", a compilation of her Italian sign photographs. This was followed in 2015 by "Graphique de la Rue: The Signs of Paris".

Fili has authored and co-authored over twenty books, many of them with her husband, the design historian Steven Heller. A best-selling monograph of her work, "Elegantissima," was published in 2012.

In 2009, she redesigned the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval for its 100th anniversary.

In 2004, Fili was inducted into the Art Directors Club Hall of Fame. In 2015 she received the medal of lifetime achievement from the Type Directors Club. She has received three James Beard Award nominations, and since 1998 she is an elected member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale.

For over twenty years, Fili has taught at School of Visual Arts, in both the undergraduate and graduate programs as well as the SVA Masters Workshop in Rome every summer.

Books authored and co-authored

Magazine articles about Louise Fili

Online Articles

Honors

Permanent Collections

References

  1. ↑ "2014 AIGA Medalist: Louise Fili". AIGA | the professional association for design. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
  2. ↑ "2014 AIGA Medalist: Louise Fili". AIGA | the professional association for design. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
  3. ↑ "Design pioneer Louise Fili on gastronomic passion and gangster clients". Retrieved 2016-06-26.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Eye Magazine | Feature | Reputations: Louise Fili". www.eyemagazine.com. Retrieved 2015-12-08.
  5. ↑ "2014 AIGA Medalist: Louise Fili". AIGA | the professional association for design. Retrieved 2015-12-08.
  6. ↑ Discontent, The Great. "Louise Fili on The Great Discontent". The Great Discontent. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
  7. ↑ "2014 AIGA Medalist: Louise Fili". AIGA | the professional association for design. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
  8. ↑ "Louise Fili". AIGA. Retrieved May 3, 2014.

https://books.google.com/books?id=yLAYPQAACAAJ&dq=louise+fili&hl=en&ei=II9nTsOiLM3ngQfnkuXGDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAA

https://books.google.com/books?id=cpCVV6oru2gC&printsec=frontcover&dq=louise+fili&hl=en&ei=II9nTsOiLM3ngQfnkuXGDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false

https://books.google.com/books?id=6a9t_nrpAyUC&dq=louise+fili&source=gbs_book_similarbooks

https://books.google.com/books?id=EX6fxDG2Kl4C&pg=PA197&dq=louise+fili+%2B+articles&hl=en&ei=io9nTtiZHILVgQel55XLDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAjgU#v=onepage&q&f=false

http://www.a-g-i.org/385/archive-articles/agi-dialogue-one-does-not-have-to-shout-to-be-noticed.html

http://www.adcglobal.org/archive/hof/2004/?id=6

Further reading

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