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Louise Fili

Grafica della Strada: The Signs of Italy Hardcover – September 2, 2014

by Louise Fili (Author)

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For more than three decades, renowned graphic designer and self-described Italophile Louise Fili has traveled the cities and countryside of Italy cataloging the work of sign craftsmen in whose hands type takes on new life with a tantalizing menu of styles. Classical, eclectic, or Futurist; in gold leaf, marble, brass, wood, wrought iron, enamel, ceramic, or neon; painted, carved, inlaid, etched, tiled, or stenciled— the creative possibilities are endless. Grafica della Strada is Fili's photographic diary of hundreds of Italy's most inventive restaurant, shop, hotel, street, and advertising signs. A major influence on Fili's own work, many of these marvels of vernacular design live on solely in this book, a typographic love letter to Italy that will be an inspiration to designers and Italophiles everywhere.

Print length

264 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Princeton Architectural Press
Publication date

September 2, 2014
Dimensions

7 x 1.25 x 9.25 inches
ISBN-10

1616892692
ISBN-13

978-1616892692
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Louise Fili
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Playful and bold, these signs evoke the charm and bustle of Italy's vital urban life." -Elle Décor

"A visual cornucopia of typographic signs photographed in her beloved Italy. a reminder that design skill is not only a function of what we make, but manifests, too, in what we mindfully choose to record." -Design Observer

"More than just a visual feast, the journal will ignite the senses of anyone who has traveled in the country.The book is packed with brilliant type specimens, and rather than providing in-depth context, Fili lets her photographs do the talking." -Communication Arts

"...a treasure for all-especially those seeking inspiration in typeface and art direction." - Cool Hunting

"I wish everyone could experience the magic of Italy firsthand. In the meantime, Grafica della Strada: The Signs of Italy offers a marvelous taste of the visuals I've found so captivating. Literally a photo flip-book of signs from across the country -- storefronts, road signs, street art, and more -- it captures how Italy's elevated design aesthetic plays into everyday life...We can all use a reminder that life is as beautiful as we make it."-MarthaStewart.com

"Forget the museums-the street signs are beautiful too. In Italy, even storefront lettering and advertisements contain visual gems."-Entertainment Weekly

About the Author

Louise Fili is director of Louise Fili Ltd, a New York-based design studio specializing in branding for food packaging and restaurants. Fili was art director of Pantheon Books for eleven years, where she designed close to 2000 book jackets. She is a member of the Art Directors Hall of Fame, and received the medal of lifetime achievement from the AIGA and the Type Directors Club.

Fili is the author of Elegantissima, Grafica della Strada, and Graphique de la Rue. She also co-authored and designed Italianissimo and The Cognoscenti's Guide to Florence. With her husband, the design historian Steven Heller, she is co-author of Italian Art Deco, British Modern, Dutch Moderne, Streamline, French Modern, Deco España, German Modern, Deco Type, Design Connoisseur, Counter Culture, Typology, Stylepedia, Euro Deco, Scripts, Shadow Type, Stencil Type, and Slab Serif Type. She has also designed Perfetto, Tutti Frutti, and Brillante pencils.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Princeton Architectural Press; Illustrated edition (September 2, 2014)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 264 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1616892692
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1616892692
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.12 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7 x 1.25 x 9.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,547,818 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,852 in general Italy Travel Guides
- #3,236 in Travel Photography (Books)
- #3,552 in Graphic Design Techniques

Customer Reviews:
51 ratings

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Louise Fili

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Louise Fili is director of Louise Fili Ltd, a New York-based design studio specializing in branding for food packaging and restaurants. Formerly senior designer for Herb Lubalin, Louise Fili was art director of Pantheon Books for eleven years, where she designed close to 2000 book jackets. 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 Bibliothèque Nationale. She is a member of the Art Directors Hall of Fame, and received the medal of lifetime achievement from the AIGA.

Fili is the author of Elegantissima, Grafica della Strada, and Graphique de la Rue. She also co-authored and designed Italianissimo and The Cognoscenti's Guide to Florence. With her husband, the design historian Steven Heller, she is co-author of Italian Art Deco, British Modern, Dutch Moderne, Streamline, French Modern, Deco España, German Modern, Design Connoisseur, Counter Culture, Typology, Stylepedia, Euro Deco, Scripts, Shadow Type, and Stencil Type.

Customer reviews

5 star		76%
4 star		14%
3 star		5%
2 star 0% (0%)		0%
1 star		5%

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LKP

Brava, brava!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 6, 2017

Verified Purchase

"Labor of love" is an over-used phrase -- but it perfectly describes this endeavor, by Louise Fili. Her comment/confession that her numerous trips to Italy were mere excuses to photograph more street signs, made me smile. (not that anyone ever needs an "excuse" for one more trip to Italy) But I knew what she meant. Her dedication and enthusiasm for typography and letter forms is on beautiful display here; and she has curated a lavish banquet of note-worthy signs for our enjoyment. Excellent photos that put us at eye level with the signs*, stylish page design a la Fili, and a book that is also a beautiful object. My advice: Keep it out, and flip through often.
*As a sidebar, the final image in the book is of Louise taking photos in Bologna. Seen in profile, wearing a Raphael-esque red beret and black stockings, and holding her camera "extender" straight up; she looked very much like the Sienese "Alfieri" or flag-throwers from the Palio pageant. One of their many intricate maneuvers is to wind the huge heraldic flags into a tight vertical "rocket" and then shoot it right up into the air. I did a double-take!

Helpful

N. HylandTop Contributor: Photography

Important photographic documentation of vernacular signs

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 18, 2015

Verified Purchase

I really like Louise Fili’s design and work.
There is no doubt of the historical importance for design and typography that the images in this book record.
For type and design fans, who like Italian vernacular letters, this would be a great gift. Five stars there.
But, I kind of wish it was an e-book too since, it is all images.
or a web site.
The image quality would have been better if a pro photographer took the images with a full frame pro camera and lens.
Of the two books, this one is better.

Helpful

Donald C. Dews

Beautiful typography beautifully presented

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 7, 2016

Verified Purchase

Beautiful typography beautifully presented. An unexpected benefit from reading this book was the new insights it provided into the Italian character and culture. A visual treat.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 6, 2014

Verified Purchase

Every page a visual gem - signs that people see everyday - past and present - rich in color and content. You will look at it many times - it doesn't disappoint - this book will inspire you.

4 people found this helpful

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Thomas

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 12, 2017

Verified Purchase

I love it and Got to meet her soon after!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 29, 2017

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A beautiful book of vintage Italian typography and style.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 20, 2017

Good

A must for typography hounds

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 18, 2015

Verified Purchase

This gorgeous compendium of Italian street signs also includes some very astute essays.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

D. Collier

For many years I have thought it a great shame that these signs are not better promoted

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 1, 2014

Verified Purchase

Congratulations to Louise Fili for producing this. When you visit Italy now you can look for something really spectacular and individual that the guidebooks do not show you. For many years I have thought it a great shame that these signs are not better promoted, it is not entirely clear either how much they are protected, though it seems from Louise's book that some of them are, which is something.
Buy this book and then visit Lucca (especially, as Louise points out), Bologna and Turin as well as where the tours want to take you. You'll be rewarded to a far greater depth than you will gawping at some old church, (in my opinion).

The casual commentator

Che peccato!* - a book for typography professionals, not Italian street signs lovers.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 4, 2015

Verified Purchase

For sure a typographer's wet dream, this book is born out of the great idea to document the incredibly rich visual language of traditional Italian store signs. However, probably because of a need to fit as many pictures as possible in a limited amount of pages, many sections of the books end up being page after page of signs stacked together in a minimum amount of space.
This prevents any of them to be properly enjoyed as there's no breathing space (what makes them so beautiful when you see them in the streets of Italian cities is that they pop out of the pastel colored walls they're mounted on).

In short: great if you are only interested in the typographic details, disappointing if you want to enjoy these signs as you may have loved them in real life.

(*) "What a disappointment!"

One person found this helpful

Liz Mint

My favourite typography book so far (and I have a lot)

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 29, 2014

Verified Purchase

There's a little explanatory text, but mainly this book is just stuffed full of gorgeous Italian typography in the form of photographs of signs taken from all over Italy by the Italian American graphic designer Louise Fili. My favourite typography book so far (and I have a lot). Highly recommended for all typophiles everywhere.

F. B. Mills

at least - a better memento than any guide book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 9, 2015

Verified Purchase

A really luscious book, cram-full of Italian sign art. Ideal for anyone acquainted with Italy and - for me, at least - a better memento than any guide book.

Lily Hawrysh

The book was defective.

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on November 17, 2021

Verified Purchase

An FYI
After the first delivery didn’t arrive, I reordered and it arrived the same day. Excellent customer service from Amazon.
BUT the book itself is defective.
It was bound with the pages upside down and backwards. If flipped over and opened from the ‘back’ cover the pages appear in the correct order and orientation. This is not a design quirk but a bookbinding production error.
After all I went through to get it, I’m keeping the book but I thought potential buyers should know!

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Grafica della Strada: The Signs of Italy Hardcover – September 2, 2014

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