Archive
AGI Dialogue: One Does Not Have To Shout To Be Noticed
Louise Fili
Born in 1951 and educated at Skidmore College and The School of Visual Arts, Louise Fili worked as a senior designer for Herb Lubalin before becoming art director of Pantheon Books for eleven years, where she designed over 2000 book jackets. She has received awards from every major design competition, including Gold and Silver Medals from the New York Art Directors Club and the Society of Illustrators, the Premio Grafico from the Bologna Book Fair, and three James Beard nominations. In 2004 she was inducted into the Art Directors Hall of Fame. Fili has taught and lectured on graphic design and typography and her work is in the permanent collections of the Library of Congress, the Cooper Hewitt Museum, and the Bibliotheque Nationale. She was the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts design grant to study the work of W.A. Dwiggins, and is co-author, with Steven Heller, of Italian Art Deco, Dutch Moderne, Streamline, Cover Story, British Modern, Deco Espana, German Modern, French Modern, Typology, Design Conoisseur, Counter Culture, and Euro Deco. Louise Fili Ltd, founded in 1989, specializes in specialty food packaging and restaurant identities.
1.
Your work seems to indicate that you have found yourself a 'niche' from where you can express your outstanding typographic skills and delicate 'touch.' How does it comply with the rules of living and working in a big city like New York?
I live a small-town life in a big city; I've kept my studio small (2 assistants) and close to home (4 blocks). I have also maintained a personal approach to design, surrounding myself with collections of Italian and French graphic ephemera, which I refer to as a source of inspiration, particularly for projects like Late July and Bella Cucina.
2.
Is there such a thing as feminine or masculine design?
I don't believe there is feminine or masculine design per se. Nonetheless, I have been typecast as a feminine designer by some clients who might come to me for a mannerism or style they deem feminine. However, truth be told, I am much more concerned about being appropriate to the subject matter than projecting a feminine or other kind of style. Every now and then an enlightened client will come along who sees beyond the stereotype. The Barbecue series for the El Paso Chile Company is a good example. When bold is called for, I can adjust the fem-o-meter accordingly.
3.
How did you make the switch from books to food?
After eleven years as Art Director of Pantheon Books, I left to both start my own studio and explore new areas of design. Just as I had sought to break out of the constraints of book jacket design, I took this opportunity to see what I could do to change the accepted formulas of food packaging. I took the same approach with packaging that that I did with book covers: I proved that one does not have to shout to be noticed. A design can be quietly beautiful and still grab attention. I prefer subtle and elegant typographic solutions to more boisterous graphic displays.
4.
What other kind of work would you have wanted to do had it come your way?
I have always wanted to design political campaign posters. Who says we have to follow the same tired formula of red, white and blue and obliqued san serif type? If the American public wasn't talked down to (graphically and otherwise), they might have elected a better president.
5.
As an AGI member since 1998, was the Pontresina congress the only one you have participated in? Could you share your recollections?
I remember being trapped in the hotel elevator, pressing every single button until I figured out which letter stood for Lobby. After that minor ordeal, I enjoyed interacting with peers from all over the globe. It was a pleasant change for this provincial New Yorker.
Yarom Vardimon November 2005