Summer Research Brief 2013 - People/ Places - Louise Fili

Second chosen option to research - People/ places - Louise Fili

Louise Fili is a famous American Graphic Designer born in Orange, New Jersey on 12th April 1951. She is most widely known for her 11 years as Art Director of Pantheon Books (Random House) creating over 2000 book covers there.

As the daughter of two Italian schoolteachers, Fili was instantly inspired by her parents' homeland upon her visit there when she was just 16. She is addicted to all things Italy - in particular Italian 1930s typography and design. 

As a graduate of Skidmore College, she began work at Alfred A Knopf from 1975-'76 designing special project books. She then worked for Herb Lubalin from '76-'78 before joining Random House. In 1989 after leaving Random House and many awards and treasures behind, she opened 'Louise Fili Ltd' - the foundations of the company being typography, food and Italy!

In around 1990, she turned her interests to Restaurant design and food packaging. The first customer was the restaurant across the road - 'Prix Fixe'. As payment for her design, she was given an unlimited tab. Some of her customers for her restaurant design work include; Picholine, The Harrison, Noche, Artisanal and Metrazur.

She has been the instructor at the School of Visual Arts for over 20 years. She has also taught at the New School, New York University and the Cooper Union. She also teaches at the SVA Masters Workshop every summer in Venice and Rome. 

Fili has authored and co-authored many books with her husband, Design Historian Steven Heller. A list of her books include (via Wikipedia):

• (With Steven Heller) Italian Art Deco: Graphic Design Between the Wars, San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1993.
• (With Steven Heller) Dutch Moderne: Graphic Design from De Stijl to Deco, San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1994.
• (With Steven Heller) Streamline: American Art Deco Graphic Design, San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1995.
• (With Steven Heller) Cover Story: The Art of American Magazine Covers 1900–1950, San Francisco: Chronicle Books (San Francisco, California), 1996.
• Logos A to Z (self-published) 1997.
• (With Steven Heller) British Modern: Graphic Design Between the Wars, San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1998.
• (With Steven Heller) German Modern: Graphic Design from Wilhelm to Weimar, San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1998.
• (With Steven Heller) Typology: Type Design from the Victorian Era to the Digital Age, San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1999.
• More Logos A to Z (self-published) 1999.
• (With Steven Heller) Design Connoiseur: An Eclectic Collection of Imagery and Type, New York: Allworth Press, 2000.
• (With Steven Heller) Counter Culture: The Allure of Mini-mannequins, New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2001.
• Logos A to Z Three, 2002 (self-published)
• (With Steven Heller) Euro Deco: Graphic Design Between the Wars, San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2004.
• A Designer’s Guide to Italy. (self-published) 2004.
• (With Steven Heller) Stylepedia: A Guide to Graphic Design Mannerisms, Quirks, and Conceits, San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2006.
• The Civilized Shopper’s Guide to Florence, New York: The Little Bookroom, 2007.
• (With Lise Apatoff) Italianissimo: The Quintessential Guide to What Italians Do Best, New York: The Little Bookroom, 2008.
• (With Steven Heller) Scripts: Elegant Lettering from Design’s Golden Age, London: Thames and Hudson, 2011.
• Elegantissima: The Design and Typography of Louise Fili, New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2012.

Her list of awards include: Gold and silver from the New York Art Directors clubs & Society of Illustrators, The Premio Grafico from the Bologna Book Fair and she has also been nominated 3 times for James Beard. 

In 2004 she was added to the Art Directors Hall of Fame. She is also an elected member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale. The list is endless!

Some of her designs:

 This is one of the copyright & acknowledgements pages from one of her books - very creative!

Why is it interesting? 

It's interesting to me because almost all of my pictures in my design inspiration folder can somehow be traced back to either Fili or inspired by one of her designs. She re-ignited the art deco type style in a modernist world and has countless rewards and achievements to show for it. My other favourite designers are also fans of hers - her work is beautiful yet functional. 

What other target audiences exist for it?

Target audiences for Fili include anyone who loves type, good food, good wine and a good time. Her work seems to be everywhere in NYC and she is the inspiration and idol of typographers all over the globe.