aesthetic portrait
photo portrait
Left to Right: Kelly Thorn, Louise Fili, Spencer Charles Photo by Nicolas Heller

About

Studio Size

Small (1-5)

Year founded

1989

Borough

Manhattan

Studio Bio/Philosophy

Louise Fili Ltd is a New-York based graphic design studio specializing in restaurant identities, food packaging, and all things Italian.

The Team

Louise Fili Ltd has 3 people. Of those, 1 is a studio head.

60% of studios are small-sized (1-5 people).

Average height

5’4”-5’6”

Shortest: 5’4”
Tallest: 5’11”

Conversations

For me that was and still is the most exciting part of design, the sketch stage, because that's really the soul of the design.

Watch

Studio Disciplines

Breakdown of Work

4%

Interactive

Primary Specialties

  • Art Direction (58)
  • Books (52)
  • Branding & Identity (77)
  • Packaging (45)
  • Print (75)
  • Typeface Design (25)

Clients’ Industries

  • Media & Publishing (58)
  • Restaurants & Food (29)

Biggest Competition

Mucca Design

Sister Studio

Mucca Design

Louise Fili Ltd’s Clients

Louise Fili, President

Demographics

Female, from Arancia, New Jersey, USA, lives in Union Square, New York, NY.

What’s been the biggest influence on your design career?

I owe my career to three people: Herb Lubalin, who taught me how to design, Harris Lewine, who taught me how to art direct, and Steven Heller, who taught me how to write.

Years in Design Industry

40 years

Average: 17 years

Previous Design Employment

Teaching Design

  • School of Visual Arts — 30 years
  • Cooper Union — 1 years

Board Member on Professional Design Organizations

  • Type Directors Club — 1 years

Location

The Space

The studio is about 1000 square feet. They’ve been there for 5 years, 2 months.

Number of times moved

7

Amenities

  • Chef (2)
  • Coffee maker (53)
  • Dishwasher (24)
  • Elevator (54)
  • Espresso machine (23)
  • Free booze (28)
  • Free snacks (27)
  • Freezer (43)
  • Library/book collection (67)
  • Roof access (14)
  • Waiting area / reception (26)

Number of conference rooms

1

Client meetings held in studio: More than half

Number of plants

6-10

Type of chair

Aeron

Decorations

Books and bookshelves, Our work, Italian and French design ephemera

Desk Policy

We keep our desks clean and tidy.

Space Satisfaction

We love it, it’s perfect

Working Days

Working week

The work week is 40-49 hours/week, core hours are 9:00-6:00, with the first in at 9:00am and the last out at 6:00pm.

50% of studios work 40-49 hours/week.
The average is 40-49 hours/week.

Work Weekends?

Never

Take Summer Fridays?

No

Busiest Time of day?

It’s high intensity all day

Culture

Side Projects

Book projects

42% of studios have side projects.

Pick your poison

Wine

Overall Noise Level

Quiet

36% of studios are quiet

Working groups

33%

Groups

33%

Studio

Internal studio meetings

Once a week

Eat out for lunch?

Once a month

Favorite sit-down lunch: Tarallucci e Vino

Critiquing Process

100%

On-screen reviews

Studio Outings

Go to restaurants we have worked on

Favorite Place(s): Pearl Oyster Bar, Mermaid Inn, L'Arte del Gelato

Hashtags

  • #eleganttypography
  • #foodobsessed
  • #french deco
  • #gelatoeveryday
  • #italiandeco