Project: Louise Fili Design Book
Programs: InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator
To produce an eight-page design history booklet, you first need a subject. My subject was Louise Fili. I find Fili’s unique style quite enjoyable and wanted to see how I could employ it in this project. I became unequivocally fascinated with her incorporation of matchboxes into her branding of restaurants and decided to showcase this in the booklet. The final booklet includes three spreads depicting her life, projects, and process with a front and back cover highlighting her matchboxes.
Research & Inspiration
A Designer’s process, Louise Fili
Pencils, Louise Fili
ELEGANTISSIMA, Louise Fili
Props for Filmmaking, Annie Atkins
Rooftop Concerts Series
Pace, Louise Fili
To start, I wanted to figure out the style and color palette. I drew inspiration from Fili's pencil designs and her book, A Designer's Process. Louise Fili is known for her countless matchbox designs. I love her matchboxes and was inspired by another Graphic Designer, Annie Atkins, to put the title in the matchbox. Louise Fili's designs include simplistic elements, repeated to create intriguing visuals. I wanted to reflect that in my final design. I also took inspiration from the spread of one of Fili’s books (ELEGANTISSIMA) on how to treat the body text.
Brainstorming and Sketching
My sketching and brainstorming process revolved mostly around the front and back covers. I find it hard to sketch out layouts on paper, when most of my assets are easier to manipulate on the computer. The main subject of my sketches was deciding on the composition of font and design on the cover. While I was researching Louise Fili, I found that she starts off by hand drawing everything even down to the font. What better way is there to create a piece that embodies a person, than emulating her design process. During my brainstorming phase, I also thought out the flow of the book and how I wanted to break up the information on each page.
Concepts and Refinements
Final Designs
