#i’ve posted louise in my design before but i’ll explain hers too | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mostlymaddie · 7 years

Text

Polyester Makes Her Butt Itchy

A/N: I hope you guys like it, I didn't edit this so I hope you don't mind too much. word count: 1,659 Harry knew Y/N’s love for animals were strong, she was always kind to each one she saw. Y/N went to pet stores everyday, no matter if she barely had enough time she would make time. Everytime she came back she would ask Harry the same question “Can we please get a pet please H? You know I’ll take care of it, maybe we can get something small like a mouse, spider, or something please?” Harry was taken aback the first time she’d asked the question, he knew damn well the spider was out of the question. He didn’t want to risk getting scared at night and accidentally kill it then consul her after breaking the unfortunate news. But that day and onward his answer had been the same, “Pretty girl, you know I would love nothing more than getting you a pet, but when I take you on tour with me it’s not very practical to have a cat with you. Even if you leave it at home who’s going to take care of it for that long? I’m sorry love, but it’s a no." Telling Y/N no made his heart stop, she never asked him to throw all his money into her needs and wants. So it was extremely easy for him to say yes to her, well the only thing he hesitated on was letting her do is make up, after a few kisses and a blowie he agreed. Y/N called Harry before walking out of the house, “Hey H, I’m about to walk down to the pet store, Louise said she’d keep it open for thirty extra minutes so I can’t pass that up. You’ll most likely get home before me so can you preheat the oven?” Y/N fumbled with the keys before putting them in her pocket and walked toward the shop. “Unfortunately love, I’m gonna hafta pull an all nighter at the stu’. If I do that and work tomorrow as well I’ll get this weekend free.” A free weekend sounded great to Y/N so no complaints left her lips. “Yeah that’s fine. I’m here H, I’ll call you when I finish.” “Okay love, can’t wait to see yeh this weekend cause I have a surprise jus’ for yeh. Love ya pretty girl.” Y/N’s cheeks got heated at the thought of his surprise. “Okay Har, Love you too.” she opened the door as soon as the conversation ended. Y/N was used to seeing Louise at the front desk waiting for her, but today was different. “Louise? Where are you?” she called out. “Back here!” Y/N maneuvered her way to the back of the shop. Louise stood to greet the guest but with tears in her eyes, Y/N’s heart immediately broke and she pulled Louise into a hug. “Oh my goodness are you okay? Was it Kevin? I told you that butt was no good for you.” Y/N pouted while combing through Louise’s newly red hair. “No it’s not him, it’s Minty. We have to put her down tomorrow since her medication is getting pricey and we barely have enough to feed and take care of all the animals. I’ve called every cruelty free animal shelter and they have no room.” Y/N herself started to ball her eyes out at this news, Minty was Y/N's favorite animal there, of course she treated and loved on all the pets there the same amount, but Minty held a special place in her heart. “Are you sure? No one wants to buy her or anything?” Y/N quickly ran to get her favorite cat, minty, and cuddled her next to Louise. The redhead sighed and went to pet the cat in question "No, I've tried giving her to other shelters, but they don't have space. I tried to give her away for free but when they find out about her condition, they bail." Y/N sighed and placed kisses on the top of the cats head. "Then I'll take her." the redhead shot up "You can't, you know what Harry will say then you'd have to give her back and then she'd get put down the next day." Y/N shook her head, "No that's not going to happen. I'm not letting go of her when I could have done something to stop it. Harry can yell at me and chew me out all he wants because honestly I don't give a damn. Won't let Harry return this cat, if he even thinks about it I'll beat his ass with a hammer." Louise chuckled at Y/N she may have been quiet and sweet but if you fucked with something she loved, she won't hesitate to release hell upon the one who wronged her. "Well love bird, if you're serious let's get some paper work done." After about forty minutes of paper work, Minty was officially Y/N's. While the redhead locked up shop, Y/N called Niall, "Hey Ni! How are you?" Niall sighed on his end of the line. "You only call me 'Ni' when you do something wrong. What'd you do?" Y/N mentally cursed herself for letting Niall in as a big brother and knowing all of her tells. "You know how I love animals rig-" "Christ Y/N, you didn't. Who am I kidding, fucking huge heart of yours. What happened?" Y/N cooed at the kitten in her lap, "Well, you know Louise and how she has a pet shop? Minty is my favorite cat and they were going to put her down and I couldn't allow it, so I took her home. Harry's going to be pissed I don't know what to say to him." Niall cleared his throat, "With that reason alone Harry wouldn't be upset with you hell, throw some puppy dog eyes and tears? You'd get away with bloody murder." Y/N chuckled knowing he was completely right, "Well we just pulled up to Pet Smart, I'll call you later yeah?" "Okay sweetheart stay safe." Louise and Y/N walked around the store picking out toys, food, bowls, collars, a cute sailor outfit Y/N just couldn't pass up, and finally a bed that felt just right and was made of the right materials because, "Polyester makes her butt itchy. So get something with way more cotton than polyester. While Y/N looked for a bed, Louise started ordering Minty's medication. They got every thing they needed and drove to Y/N and Harry's shared home. After setting a up a small scratching post and letting Minty get used to the house, Y/N decided she held the redhead captive enough and let her go for the night. Once things got settled down, she called Harry. " 'Ello love. I thought yeh said she'd keep it open fo' thirty minutes not two hours." "Yeah, after visiting the pets we came back to the house and watched a movie. Kinda lost lost track of time but at least I called." Y/N decided not to tell him over the phone, this was a matter that had to be discussed face to face. "Ahh I'm glad yeh got a girl's night. Anythin' else?" "Nope, just chillin'." Harry laughed and they continued their conversation until she got tired. Today was the day. Early Saturday morning, she made Harry's favorite breakfast and waiting at the kitchen's island for Harry to walk through the door. As Y/N poured juice for herself, Harry walked into the kitchen. "Goo' morning pretty girl, whatcha up ta?" Y/N smiled and ran into his arms, "I made breakfast come on, let's eat." Halfway through breakfast, Harry felt Y/N's foot rubbing against his ankle. "If ya wanna play footsies jus' ask." Y/N furrowed her eyebrows "I'm not doing anythin'." Harry gave her a face then looked down at his feet. His chewing slowed and his eyes got wide, "Tha fuck!" Y/N's eyes also wided in realization, "H, baby hear me out th-" Harry swallowed his food and looked up at Y/N. "You have negative five seconds to explain the cat at my foot." it's was obvious he was holding back yelling at his girl, the proof in the vains protruding from his neck. She ran over to pick the cat up and bury it in her chest. "H, they were going to put her down today since she was getting expensive and no one would take her. Yell at me call me what ever names you want, I don't care but you aren't taking Minty away from me!" Harry immediately soften at the mention of Minty. Everyday after her vists she would always go on about this particular cat and how happy she made her. Harry saw the love in her eyes every time she talked about her. He sighed and walked toward Y/N and the cat. "Tha's Minty?" the worried girl nodded her head. He looked his lover in the eye before holding his hands out for the kitty. "If she makes yeh that happy, I guess yeh can keep her." Y/N's eyes filled with tears as she jumped and cheered around the kitchen. "You hear that Mint? I can keep you!" After that fiasco, all three cuddled on the couch and watched TV. "Mmm wait, get up fo' a second." Y/N lifted herself off of Harry's lap and watched him walk toward his abandoned bag at the door. "Here.", he placed a smallish rectangular box on her lap. Y/N opened the box to reveal a phone case with a picture of her and Harry as the design. She cooed at the case then leaped up the give Harry a kiss and a hug, "Oh my gosh, thank you thank you thank you! I love it babe!" He smiled into the hug and rubbed her back. " 'm glad yeh do."

#harry styles #harry styles smut #harry styles imagine #harry styles oneshot #niall horan

167 notes · View notes

bitchdoeseurope · 7 years

Text

Concrete jungle, wet dream, tomatoeeee

(Title is a misheard Alicia keys lyric. Just in case anyone was wondering)

Day three started a bit more fabulous. I felt below average but better than the zombie like state I've been in. I got a donut and hot choc for breakfast (because I'm super healthy and everything here seems to be on the go for breakfast) and headed on to MoMa. The museum of modern art. Now I didn't have long here so I smashed it out.

The top floor was an exhibition "is fashion modern?" And surprisingly I found it really cool, the main gist of it was that everything in fashion comes from something from past fashion or another culture and is recycled to create a "new" piece. It discussed ideas like how the little black dress changed the colour black from only being about mourning to also being a sign of elegance, how a white t shirt can be casual or smart depending how you dress around it and how clothes generally are a canvas of expression for most people. It was a really cool concept.

The next level had some classic art works. I'm a bugger though because I'm not very good with stopping to read the descriptions of pieces, I tend to think that art shouldn't have to be explained - you either get it or you don't. The highlight here was van goghs starry night 👌🏻

The next two floors focused on Louise bourgeois who did a lot of sketches, print work, fabric work and sculpture work. She was apparently quite fascinated with arachnids (spiders) and compared them to her mother (in a loving way. Kind of odd). The coolest part of all this was the big ass spider and cage sculpture that sat in the middle of a room. Inside the cage was tapestries from Louise's own collection and little trinkets hung down as well. It was just a funny looking piece and I enjoyed it.

Headed down to the sculpture garden and of course my favourite piece here was the big ass fuck off rose. It was huge. 👌🏻

By this point I had really raced through the museum but I was also somehow at the exit and really could not be bothered with the mass crowd that was lining up to go upstairs again. So I went for a stroll instead. I walked past the flat iron building as well as the public library and Maddison square park. Why did you walk all this way alison ? Well fam, I was going to get another tattoo. (Soz not soz dad).

I eventually (let's not say how long it took) got to the studio and met my artist, Miko. Miko is a fucking godddddd at scriptwork and this is why I had chosen her. Now, before I reveal the tatt (is only little I promise) I need to explain its significance because if not it just looks "white girl". So, as many of you may know... I'm a philosophy major ✌🏻. In my third year of uni I did a unit on stoic and epicurean (Ancient Greek) philosophy. Basically the epicureans had this concept of "ataraxia" as the idea of what one should strive for in order to live a happy life. And by happy the didn't mean like all smiles and excitement but a sense of peace and calm within oneself. Ataraxia is freedom from physical pain and mental anxiety. This Greek word translates roughly to "tranquility". Now, I'm not saying I'm a calm or peaceful person but I think it's a pretty fucking good thing to aim for.

Post tattoo I got an uber to the American museum of natural history !! I was so excited for this and then I got real fucking pissed off. So I prepaid for my ticket. Turns out the fucking Ross geller archeologist of the year awards were on so half the Shit was closed, and entry was fucking free. Was pissed me off the most was the main entrance that you see in "night at the museum" WAS OFF FUCKING LIMITS. IM SO MAD ABOUT IT. I JUST WANTED TO SEE REXY GOD DAMN IT. needless to say I'll try to find time (god fucking knows when) to go back and abuse them into letting me in. Anyway, I had gotten a ticket to see "dark universe" in the dome thingy they have there. If you ever want to feel motion sick whilst also having an existential crisis then this is the place for you !! It's fascinating to hear about how large the *observable* universe is and that less than 5 % of shit is actual matter, then rest being dark matter and dark energy but it is equally terrifying to consider how microscopically small we are in comparison. Yay?

After this I wandered around - where I could - problem was I wasn't given a map, there was none on the walls and I couldn't connect to wifi to download their stupid fucking app. So aimlessly I went from room to room. And I'll admit there was some cool (creepy) animals and some interesting looking world culture stuff, and I did find the exhibit that Ross and Rachel boinked in!!!! But I was still a little (a lot) heart broken at the management of it all. I was starting to cough and splutter again and could feel myself burning up something terrible. So I sat down in front of a mineral display and mum called me. So for about 40 minutes I looked at rocks. If that doesn't describe my state of 0-energy I don't know what does.

Uber again to go to the theatre! By this stage my cheeks were on fire 🔥 I stopped to get some food and ordered way too fucking much - didn't realise a"side" of broccoli was going to be an entire head of the stuff!!! And then I trundled off the Anastasia.

Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow.

Everyone needs to see this show. It was fucking glorious. The costumes were BEAUTIFUL. The set design and technical elements were ducking flawless. And the story itself was so magical !! The stage play is adapted from the Disney movie and another movie version and it was just so bloody wonderful I can't put it into words. It wasn't the kind of thing that makes you want to get up and dance every song but it takes you on a journey from Russia to Paris on the most gorgeous ways 😍😍 there was comic relief, there was a villain who learns to not be a dick, there was love and loss and just go see it okay ?!

So again I walked back to the hotel and made my way to bed. Deciding to spend this morning right here while I try to mend myself a little bit. Wish me luck !!

0 notes

raystart · 7 years

Photo

Louise Fili

New York–based graphic artist Louise Fili is as passionate about letters, typefaces, and historic signage as she is about food, Italian culture, and savoring life’s simple pleasures.

The recipient of lifetime achievement awards from AIGA (2014) and the Type Directors Club (2015) – just the pinnacle of an awards mountain – Fili is the consummate designer’s designer. She has created unforgettable corporate signatures (the Tiffany & Co. monogram, the Paperless Post stamp), restaurant identities (Artisanal, Mermaid Inn, Pearl Oyster Bar), and food and wine packaging (Tate’s Bake Shop, Sarabeth’s); published a dozen prestigious design books, many with her husband, Steve Keller; and has so far been commissioned to design two USPS postage stamps, the most recent of which, an ode to skywriting, debuted in January.

The New Jersey–born Italian-American began her career as a senior designer for Herb Lubalin, spent 11 years at Pantheon Books quietly revolutionizing the art of book design, and then flew solo with the launch of her design studio, Louise Fili Ltd., in 1989.

Ninety Nine U joined Fili for lunch at Via Carota in the West Village, whose logo she created for its launch in 2015, to talk about why your studio’s name matters, the reason your client’s person in charge must be present at all meetings, and what happens when you serve gelato at your studio presentations.

Europe, and Italy in particular, seems to be an endless source of inspiration to you. When did you first realize you had such an affinity for Italian culture? Was it on a trip?

Yes. My parents were both born there, and they rarely spoke Italian at home except to tell secrets in front of us at the dinner table. My father was always talking about going back, and when I was 16 I went with my parents to my father’s hometown in Sicily. But we went all over the mainland, and I had an epiphany. That was the same summer that I sent away for a pen I saw advertised in the back of The New Yorker. It said, “You can learn to write in a beautiful italic hand.” So I sent away for that pen, and I taught myself calligraphy. The first thing I remember seeing when I arrived in Milan was this billboard for Baci Perugina, and that’s all it said on it. But the type and illustration were so beautiful and so simple, unlike any kind of advertising I’d ever seen before. And that was my three-way epiphany: when I fell in love with food, type, and Italy all at once.

Do you go back a lot?

I do; I’m always finding excuses to go. My husband and I teach in a master’s workshop program in Rome every summer. And I’m always working on some kind of book project that takes me there. I just finished revising a guidebook to artisan shops in Florence. This is actually the third time I’ve revised it, because all the shops

keep changing. I never really thought of myself as a writer before, but whatever it took to get me over there and taste-test gelato and interview shopkeepers in Italian. It was really fun. And then I’ve also been doing these books on signage, because I’m really passionate about that, and have been forever, for as long as I’ve been interested in graphic design.

Tell me about the signage series.

It started out with 35mm slides, and point-and-shoot snapshots, and finally digital. All these images I was shooting were just for my own reference and enjoyment, and I had them in little binders in my office on a dedicated shelf, arranged by city. When the technology was finally good enough for me to consider using these for reproduction, that’s also when I realized all the signs were starting to disappear. Every summer I would take my students in the Rome program to see all my favorite signs, and there would be one or two missing. Every year it was more and more. So I really wanted to record all of the signage before it was gone forever.

It started with the book on Italian signage, and then I decided to do one on Paris signage, which I thought would be so much easier because it’s only one city, but it really wasn’t. Usually I’ll take two or three trips to do a whole book, so I have to make maps of the different neighborhoods with all the signs mapped out, and I spend a lot of time on Google Street View, making sure that the signs are still there and looking for others that I didn’t know about before. The next book will be Barcelona; that’s coming out in September. Barcelona has incredible modernista signage that is all starting to disappear too. I also did a whole chapter on monograms, because a lot of the buildings in one particular neighborhood were all built in the early 1900s, and every owner wanted to have his name on the building.

Even though the first two books did very well, for the Paris book they went back for a reprint, like, one week after it was published, which is pretty unusual. At that same time, I said “Let’s do Barcelona next.” Every publisher these days is very cautious, so they still hadn’t given me the okay by the time I was leaving on my trip, but I just decided I had to go, no matter what. I’m glad I did.

Nearly every logo of yours conveys to the customer that the restaurant or company or product is special and worthy of your attention. I remember the first time I saw the box for Late July crackers at Whole Foods, I was smitten even though I’d never tried one. And I experienced something similar the first time I went to Artisanal and saw that sign. How do you explain that power?

I’ve always told my students that a logo is a typographic portrait. You have to meet the person or the business and speak with them and really understand them, and then translate that into a typographic portrait. And that’s more than just setting the word in font and calling it a logo. With my logos, I spend a lot of time just sketching and developing the typography to represent the whole integrity of the brand. Ninety-nine percent of the time it requires hand-lettering, but that’s what I love to do. That is an important part of the process: to communicate all the nuances of what we’re trying to say. So I’m glad I ended up doing food packaging, because it’s something that always interested me.

The before-and-after page on your site is fascinating.

Yeah, it’s really good for potential clients, because when they come to me for a rebrand, they’re the first to say “My logo is terrible,” but then they are always very nervous about making a change. They’re afraid of losing their customer base or that it’s going to represent them incorrectly. So when I show them the before and after, they’re like, Oh. It’s like taking a magic wand and just making everything look better.

Depending on how articulate they are, I usually ask them about 15 or 20 questions about their business. I start with “Have you trademarked this name?” It’s a very important question, especially in restaurants. You’d be amazed. The only time I didn’t ask that question was when I was working with a very highly regarded restaurateur. I thought it would be insulting for me to ask, but sure enough, we did the logo and then they found out that they couldn’t get the name.

Some of the makeovers are really subtle.

Some of them need it more than others. But they’re all nervous about it, and that’s why I like working with smaller businesses; I like having a more personal relationship with my clients. Like with Sarabeth. I sat down with her and her husband. They had been making their jam for 25 years, and I can understand why she was nervous about it. What I always tell someone is, “You can change a lot, as long as you maintain one or two key elements.” In her case, we kept the same jar, because everybody knows her by her jar. But she was using a generic mason jar, so we changed the embossing on the top so instead of saying “Mason” it said “Sarabeth.”

And we kept the type, did the label in the same oval, and kept her name in upper and lowercase, which I felt was important. Then we just refined everything else, and it made a huge difference. Even the paper stock. The first time I looked at it I thought, This paper stock looks so dingy. So I found the brightest, most opaque white paper stock I could, and that alone made a huge difference. What ended up happening in her case is that people would still go and reach for the same jar in the supermarket, and they might not have even noticed there was a change in the design. But they suddenly had a higher regard for the product, and they didn’t mind paying $9.99 for it.

What happens if you get negative feedback from a client?

Well, the first question I ask, even before we discuss the trademark thing or even have a meeting is “Who are the decision makers?” They have to be at the meeting. If the big decision maker is too busy to have a meeting with me, then I’m too busy too, and I won’t do it. It cannot end well otherwise. There’s nothing worse than someone trying to second-guess their boss. I don’t want there to be any big surprises when I see them next time and present the logo. And there aren’t any as long as we’re all there at the first meeting. We all talk about everything that is important to us.

Are there interim stages where they say, “I like this, but is there any chance you could make this blue instead?”

Sometimes, and if they’re reasonable questions, that’s fine. Very often, they’re just nervous about something. And that’s when I ask the really important question. I would never ask it at the first meeting, but when things look like they’re starting to fall apart, I ask them, “What are you afraid of?” And you would be surprised. With a question like that you would expect people to say, “What are you talking about? How dare you?” Yet they never ask that. They always answer the question, which is so interesting.

That’s why I always recommend, whenever any students ask me what I recommend that they do to become a designer: Take a Psych 101 class. Because of course they’re nervous. I talk them off the ledge, and then it’s usually fine. It’s a designer’s chance to earn their trust, which is a big step. The other trick I’ve used only once is, “We’re not going to leave this room until we all make a decision.” But the thing I do on the other end of the spectrum is whenever I schedule a meeting to show a logo design, I always try to schedule it in the afternoon. I serve gelato first, and then I show the logo. It usually works very well.

Do you find it relaxes them?

It’s better than getting them a drink. It makes them happy.

What is your work process like, typically? You mentioned hand lettering but do you also work on computers?

I actually don’t. I’m in that other generation that still likes to work the old way. What I do is approach it the same way I did for book jackets, which I did for eleven years at Pantheon. What I would do is get the title of the book, sit down with a tracing pad, and draw a 5.5 x 8.5-inch rectangle, which I could do with my eyes closed, and then just write the title of the book over and over again, just letting it speak to me. Page after page, it would go from something really rough to some thing more defined. I was looking to see how the words would work on the page.

As I got to something more defined, by the last page I realized it was a typeface that didn’t exist, and I was going to have to figure out how to do it by hand. In those days, I had a few choices; I could hire a letterer or I could do it myself or I could take an existing face and distort it. Usually I either did it myself or hired a letterer. This was also pre-computer, and the people doing lettering were very specific craftsmen – that’s all they did. I would give them very tight sketches, and then go over it with them, and they would do the final artwork.

Now, I have a very small studio. I only have two designers working for me, but I can’t hire anyone unless they’re good at hand lettering. But I still do my very tight sketches. The way I used to work in book jackets had actually prepared me well, because it’s really the same process. When I do logos, as soon as I start sketching I’m automatically making certain decisions. Like if the name of the restaurant is very long, it’s obviously going to have to be in a condensed font, because you can’t hyphenate the word. Except for once, when I hyphenated Mermaid Inn. Or if it’s three words that are different lengths, I would automatically put that in a circle. It’s these things I just know, having done logos for so long.

One of my designers asked me very nicely once, “If you were going to start all over and you were going to school now, do you think you’d become a graphic designer?” I said, “No, I probably wouldn’t.” It’s not the same. I became a graphic designer because I loved the letterpress shop, where I could sit with type and print it out and sift through books and do the hand lettering and the clamps. We learned lettering by going into the marshes and picking reeds and making our own reed pens. That’s very different than learning lettering on Illustrator – nothing wrong with Illustrator.

What is it like for you to come across a design of yours? Your work is so memorable, but in most ways you are completely anonymous as the creative force behind it.

That’s true, but they’re only logos [Laughs]. I love walking, and actually this is a good neighborhood for a little logo tour, because we have Via Carota, and we have Pearl Oyster Bar, Mermaid Oyster Bar, and Oat Meals, which is an oatmeal-themed restaurant. We used to have L’Arte del Gelato when they were on Seventh Avenue, but now they’re at Chelsea Market. Nothing makes me happier than to just walk around seeing all my logos, as long as they’re looking good.

Was there a specific moment when you recognized your talent for graphic design?

Well, I went to school [Skidmore] and majored in art. If you couldn’t paint, they would tell you you’re “graphically oriented,” and fortunately the one graphic design teacher took me under his wing. And that’s when it all came together; that’s when I realized, Oh, that’s why I’ve always been interested in lettering and making quotes and collecting packages and labels. It’s all graphic design! Because when I was in high school, they called that commercial art, which was pretty unsexy. Why would anybody be interested in that?

Besides developing a process, what did you learn from designing book covers?

When I started out at Pantheon, there weren’t a lot of risks being taken. All the jackets looked the same; everybody seemed to think that type on jackets had to be big and bold. I was on a mission to prove that you didn’t have to shout to capture someone’s attention – that a cover could be quiet and beautiful and still make a difference. I think the best-known jacket I did when I was at Pantheon was The Lover.

Margarite Duras was a celebrity in France but was relatively unknown in the U.S. In spite of the very understated jacket I did, the book became a legendary best-seller. It was Pantheon’s first, in 1985, so I think I proved my point. Once I had that one under my belt, salespeople were a lot more likely to just leave me alone. I got the opportunity to experiment with a different period or design or type history on a daily basis. It’s really where I came to develop my style. And that experience of being on a mission to prove that you didn’t have to shout was kind of the same thing when I started doing food packaging. Why did food packaging have to shout? Why couldn’t it just be something really beautiful and sensual that you want to take and bring home to look at? And maybe it would even taste good.

How did you end up starting your own studio?

I thought I’d stay at Pantheon forever, and fortunately I did otherwise. But after I had been there for eleven years, my son was born. I took my three-month leave of absence with every intention of going back, but when I did, the next list of books had come in and none of them were that appealing. And I just thought, I don’t want to be here. I had always been doing freelance for other publishers, because in those days art directors were so brutally paid that they all had to freelance to make ends meet, and I had an extra room in my apartment that I was already using as a studio.

I thought, I could do this. I had a nanny, so I would work in my studio with an assistant from 9 to 6, and then at 6 o’clock I would close the door and resume my life. That lasted about three years, until I needed more space and my son needed more space. I’ve always kept my studio in the neighborhood, though. I learned two important lessons right away. One is that you should never depend on any one type of work or any one client, because that can all change very rapidly. Two is that you should never sit and wait for the phone to ring with the perfect job because there is no perfect job.

I feel very strongly that every designer has to have his or her own personal projects. Because it’s the only way that you really grow and find your design voice, and that was the case for me. I started with what was closest to my heart, which was Italian art deco, because I had been collecting this material for so many years. My husband, Steve Keller, and I launched this series of books. It started with Italian Art Deco for Chronicle Books, and then it led to many others: Dutch, French, American streamline deco type, British, Spanish, German. They did very well, but eventually they drifted into remainder purgatory. And then we did Euro Deco, which was a selection of each of the books except American; that one’s still in hardcover, which is nice.

Why is it crucial not to rely on one kind of work?

Well, this was a time when everyone was moving over to the computer. Suddenly a lot more work was being done in-house. But the biggest difference was that I was used to being an art director [at Pantheon]; I would present the cover designs to the editors and I would get them approved. But now there was a middleman involved. Whenever I was working on any kind of publishing project it was always through an art director, and it didn’t work as well.

Everything was changing in publishing, and as much as I loved doing book covers I realized that there was life after publishing. When I started my studio, my idea was to focus on the only three things I’m interested in, which are food, type, and all things Italian. That was 28 years ago.

How did you get into restaurant identities?

Within the first year, I started finding my way into the curious world of restaurants. It couldn’t have been more diametrically opposed to book publishing. At the first restaurant I worked for, I had to explain to them why they had to pay both me and the printer. I realized I had to educate the client and make them understand why graphic design is important and how we had to work together, and so it was an interesting experience. But then I started working with one architecture firm in particular. They did really great work, and these architects were the first ones to hear about any new jobs, so they would recommend me early on. There was a lot more synergy.

Tell me about some of the challenges your business has faced.

Well, let’s talk about being a woman in the industry. When I started my business, it was the pre-Google era. You couldn’t be very creative about the name of your business because people had to find you in the phone book; it had to be some form of your name. I could have called myself Fili Associates or something like that, but that didn’t seem right. So I called it Louise Fili Ltd. I knew the name was going to be a liability, because it was very clear this was a woman-owned studio, but I decided I really wanted it. I wanted to send a clear message, and that was: If you have a problem with me being a woman, then I have a problem with you being my client. And I’m sure I’ve lost business that way, but it’s too bad. In those days there were very few studios run solely by women. I just decided to ignore it and do what I wanted to do.

Have there been any near disasters, in terms of crazy clients?

Oh yeah. When you have a small business, especially, you have to be very careful about what kind of clients you take on, because an abusive client can just bring down the whole studio. I wouldn’t do that to my employees. If I have any kind of inkling that this is not the right client for me, I’ll usually tell them, “It sounds like a great project, but I don’t think I’m the right designer for you.” And if it’s the wrong client, you know right away, because they don’t want to hear no; they’ll just hang on even tighter.

But as long as I can recommend someone else, they’re usually fine, and then they’re out the door. I also have to be very careful with the kind of people I hire. They have to understand the studio ethic. If they come from a big company, they’re much more likely not to. When you’re in a small studio, everyone just pitches in without even thinking about it, and that’s very important.

Do you have a favorite genre of client these days?

Women. I realized recently that the only restaurant clients I’ve had who have not bargained with me on my price have been women. And whenever I work with anyone from out of town, they don’t negotiate the price either. But in New York it’s to be expected. If I said $50, they would still want to bargain.

Are there reasons to be hopeful about the future of craftsmanship?

Definitely. I think there’s such a resurgence in hand lettering, for example. So many wonderful people who worked for me have gone off and made a name for themselves. Just like the resurgence in manual typewriters and turntables and everything like that, I think everyone is craving that tactility we lost. So I think craft is very important. I mean, there are people who appreciate it, and there are a lot of people who don’t know the difference.

What are some words of wisdom for someone contemplating their own solo business?

What I always tell people is that you have to follow your heart. You have to combine graphic design with something you’re passionate about. Design on its own – I don’t think it’s enough. I wouldn’t be the designer I am today if I hadn’t done my own projects. If you’re just doing work for other people, that’s what it looks like. But if you’re doing work that comes from your heart, it’s a really different story.

What is next for Louise Fili?

I think it’s designing fonts. For years people used to ask me, “Why don’t you do fonts?” I’m designing all this custom type for logos, and number one, I don’t want to just give it away. And number two, I’m only designing the letters that I need for the logo; I’m not doing the whole alphabet plus numbers, plus punctuation and everything. But I finally reached a point where I thought it might be interesting to try. We just started two months ago but I think it’s a natural progression.

And I still want to keep doing my own books. It’s an enormous amount of work and I lose money on all of them, but I don’t regret having done any of them. When I did the Barcelona book, I worked really hard and I had good weather, so I was able to do it in two trips, but it was an enormous amount of work. There was one sign in particular, for a photo studio, that was the most beautiful deco strip, and I couldn’t wait to see it in person. I checked ahead, right before I left, on Google Street View, to make sure it was still there and it was.

When I got to Barcelona, I wanted to go there on the first day but it wasn’t practical, so I went a couple days later. I literally ran to the spot to see the sign, and I got there and it was gone. All I could see were the traces of it on the facade. I was devastated. I felt like I had missed it by a matter of minutes. The photo studio obviously had closed but it really, really bothered me. The next day, I was interviewed by a journalist from El País, the Spanish newspaper, and two days later the article came out.

I didn’t even remember talking to him about this, but obviously I was still upset about it. He wrote about my not being able to find the sign, and he gave the name of the photo studio and the address. A week later, when I got back to New York, I got an email from the grandson of the original owner of Photos Lopez, and he said, “My family and I were very moved when we read the article, and I just want you to know that if you’re ever back in Barcelona, we’ll remount the sign for you so you can photograph it.” I went back as fast as I could. The whole family came out for the event – it was so wonderful. I’m so glad I went back, because I dedicated the book to them.

That’s a great story. Do you think it’s just too late for New York?

I have no interest in New York. Every now and then, I think, Well maybe I could do architectural signage and ornament, but it’s not same. When it’s in a different language it’s always much more interesting.

There’s something about seeing things more clearly when you’re somewhere else.

Yeah, when it’s new to you. That’s what happened when I did the Italian book. I was very surprised it got an enormous amount of press in Italy, which I wasn’t expecting at all. But they all said the same thing: “Gee, we walk past this signage every day, and we’ve never really appreciated it, and it took an American to come here to make us notice it.” And I’m sure I probably don’t notice things in New York. But I do. I always walk to work, and in the neighborhood we’re in now – it’s sort of the Flower District – I do find some things on the buildings that surprise me, like things carved into the buildings. But certainly not signage as we know it in Italy and France.

When you do see something extraordinary, it’s like another century speaking to you.

And it’s always such a miracle that it’s still there. Then suddenly, one day it’s gone.

#startups #text #startup #advice #busieness #howto #news #tech #love

0 notes

cheshirecaine · 7 years

Text

Family Man [fic]

Hal stumbled down the steps, wobbling as his toes clenched for purchase and flapping his sleeved arms to maintain his balance. Damian looked up his nose at him from beside his father and the rest of the Bats. He stared at the side of Bruce’s head, questioning his taste, even as Bruce stared at the monitors in front of him. Bruce narrowed his eyes, focussing in on a section of the main screen like a camera lens. The keyboard keys clicked as his fingers tapped them at an erratic pace. The footage enlarged on screen and he zoomed into a corner of the video surveillance. He played the short clip again, this time with the reflection of the witness’ more pronounced. His mouth movements were blurred and none of them could make out any clear words. He switched to a visual display of the audio, filtering out any background noise, before turning back. He replayed the clip and the Bats leaned forwards, concentrating harder. The screen turned to static mid-speech and Bruce rewound once more. “Scott Kohr? Kore? Did the witness know any Scotts?” Tim asked, his cowl leaving only the turn of his mouth visible to show his apprehension. Jason narrowed his eyes. “No. He was friends with a lot of scum, but Johnny boy didn’t know any Scotts.” “You sure about that, Red? Just ‘cause he worked in your territory ‘doesn’t mean you know all of his friends,” Stephanie pointed out, her hood pulled down—unlike Tim’s—and her expression betraying her disbelief. “I know that,” Jason responded, forcing the words out through clenched teeth. “Except he’s– he was one of my informants. As a precaution, he told me everything from his mum’s surgery dates to”—he waved a prompting hand—“the names of everybody he ran across. Fat lot of good it did him though. Booted out of the military for a bullet wound and now he’s in a medical coma.” Stephanie looked like she was about to carry on anyway, so Jason moved his hands from beside his guns and crossed them across his chest into a position that screamed back down. Barbara cast them a too-casual glance, turning back to Bruce. “Why did the CCTV cut out?” “Faulty wiring,” Bruce answered, his steepled fingers casting a shadow over his face. Tim tugged his cowl off his head, pulling a hand through his hair in an acquired tic. “I’ll get on that later. After we’ve dealt with this, and after I’ve gotten ahead on this month’s Neon Knights paperwork.” Dick dropped a hand on his shoulder, dragging his hand up his nape through his own hair. “Don’t worry about that right now. It’s more important to focus on whoever he was talking about.” He addressed the last to Bruce, before turning to Jason. “Do you have any clue what he was talking about, Jason?” Jason considered. If the situation had been less serious and less personal, he would have been in more of a mood to bask in their dependency on him. “. . . He was off his meds.” Bruce spun around in his chair. “He took his prescriptions regularly without fail. And he looks pretty steady, considering the circumstances.” “He’d finished his last dose already, so he was planning on picking up his prescriptions on the way home. And nothing says that without his meds he immediately switches to jumping at shadows. He gets overwhelmed; he’s not getting high on Fear Toxin.” “Tt. You couldn’t have mentioned that earlier, Todd?” Jason knew Damian would have something to say. “I didn’t know earlier. The only way it could make sense is if he was being chased a whole hour longer than everybody here predicted.” Dick latched onto Damian to hold him back. Barbara pulled a handheld from her bag, plugging the USB cable into the mainframe. “If that’s the case, it’s a good thing we’re all here. It’s a bigger problem than we realise.” Bruce leaned backwards in his chair to give her better access to the computer keys. “This level of preparation is unorthodox. And it explains a lot about why all the criminals in Gotham have been acting all weird lately. Like they know something we don’t.” She stopped typing for a blink, then started up again, her fingers striking the keys with undeserved vengeance. “The only problem is . . .” “They were right,” Bruce sat up straighter and joined her, processing her searches and setting up his own algorithms. The computer let out a chirp, signalling the search’s end. Dick’s eyebrows shot up. “I know we were expecting a lot of hits–” “But that’s a lot of hits,” chimed in Stephanie, her own gaze affixed like his to the number emblazoned in red across the screens. “The sooner we start narrowing them down, the quicker this is over.” Tim’s words weren’t as comforting as he thought. In all fairness though, his forehead was creased in that way it got when he realised he was going to spend full days with minimal sleep. Hal was still perched on the stone stairs. He took a leap to the ground and slunk towards them with an air of practiced innocence. “Hey, guys—I didn’t know Scott Cawthon was visiting Gotham!” In that moment, the Bat family had one mind, and only one thought. What? “If I’d known he was visiting, I’d have gotten some autographs for my nieces and nephews!” said Hal, watching the looped video shifted to a corner of the centre screen. “What?” None of them could tell you for sure who or which of them asked the question. “They’re huge fans. It’s kinda creepy. How can they not be scared? Some of them haven’t even hit puberty yet!” Bruce stopped typing, and stared intently at the main screen. “I suppose it’s not the worst thing in the world—better than shooter games or, doing drugs, I guess?” Bruce turned his gaze on Hal. “What?” Damian slammed a fist on the desk and barked out a response before Bruce could speak. “Who is this Scott Cawthon? And why do you know him?” “Oh, please.” Hal rolled his eyes. “As if none of you know who Scott Cawthon is—Wait. If he travelled to Gotham, that wouldn’t exactly be publicised . . . Have you guys been stalking Scott Cawthon? ‘Cause I get it—I wanna know if he’s actually sticking to deadlines with this one—but there’s such a thing as boundaries.” Another anonymous “What?” “Sometimes I worry for the younger kids, my older nieces seem to waver when it comes to morality. But, then again. Isaac and Natasha said that they couldn’t be scared because their favourite uncle is Green Lantern . . . I am not looking forward to when they get old enough to start lying. “I wish Cass was here.” “Oh . . . Isn’t that her on the ceiling?” Hal pointed upwards. And lo and behold, there she was. She swooped her way down and shot the others an unimpressed look. "Detectives.” They winced. “Do you think he’d be upset if I asked for an autograph? And maybe a photo? Might even buy him a drink as thanks for the whole”—he flopped his hand over in the air—“everything.” He tilted his head; considering. “Maybe I’ll get him to spill some info about the next one.” His lips quirked mischievously. “The kids’ll go ballistic.” “Explain, Jordan!” Damian stared Hal down through the lenses of his mask. “Scott Cawthon’s in town?” Hal’s voice rose in pitch at the end—it dawned on him that he seemed to be on a different page. “Who. Is. He?” “The game designer. Creator of the Five Nights at Freddie’s series. Well, franchise.” Damian huffed, still visibly fuming. Hal looked from him to the others. “Is this a crime thing?” “Got it in one, little green nightlight.” Tim held a hand over his face, looking as weary as a man three times his age. Damian flung his head to glare at Stephanie. He twisted back to bark out something derogatory at Hal. Jason stepped in front of him, blocking his view. “You know anything that could help us find the shitheads that got my guy?” “How low you’ve fallen, Todd+. You expect him to help us?” Jason shrugged. “I care more about making things right by Joel than I do about your ego, kid.” He ignored Damian’s scoff and spoke to cut him off. “Do you know why someone would link Scott Cawthon to some gun running?” “Apparently, a ton of Gotham kids are fans too. Louise said her pen pals in Gotham had gotten together with a bunch of kids from other schools to deck themselves in FNAF stuff for Friday the 13th. ‘Cause, you know, horror. There’re supposed to be a few schools in a bunch of districts getting involved. I think some of the richer kids are buying toys to send to the others that morning. Charity’s a good thing, but I’m guessing the guns’ll be smuggled in the trucks and the toys.” “. . . Thanks, Hal.” “No problem, Jason.” “I’ll send you guys any intel I can scrounge up in the next few hours.” Jason called over his shoulder, directing his words at Bruce mostly. Bruce had already opened up a dozen forums, and was scanning them to isolate any posts talking about the day. “Oh!” Hal called out to Jason. “And maybe check the sewers around those schools too.” He regarded Jason’s quirked eyebrow. “They needed places they could get into near their school to store stuff without anyone seeing it—janitors and teachers get more vigilant in the lead up to Halloween. Besides, what kids use warehouses?” Jason acknowledged his words with a nod, then slammed his helmet onto his head. “I’ll come with you. I need to stop off downtown anyway, and I’ll liaise with some of the clean police officers.” Tim trotted over to him, drawing his cowl over his face. He swung onto the bike behind Jason. Jason revved his bike, and they screeched out of the cave. “I’ll go butter up my dad.” “I’ll go with you, Babs.” “Aren’t dads supposed to hate their daughter’s exes? It’s like my dad likes you more than me.” “At least me being there will justify talking about police work for an hour straight.” “I know.” Dick rested a hand on Damian’s shoulder, urging him upstairs, as he and Barbara made to leave. Stephanie turned to Cass, the only one left besides Bruce and Hal, trying to avoid the growing tension. “Feel like getting a burger, Cass?” “Cheeseburgers. With fries.” “Deal!” Steph briefly linked their pinkies. The cave was left in silence as they followed in the wake of Jason and Tim. Hal smacked his lips. “So? You planning on going anywhere too?” Bruce spun around in his chair and steepled his fingers. “They can investigate this on their own—they’re enough to cover all of Gotham easily. I can provide them with back-up from here. It’s more important to collate all the info on this I can get from their correspondence.” “Do you really need to be here to do that? Or can the computer do it on its own?” “The search is automatic and according to protocols I’ve already set in place.” “So, in a word: no.” “No then.” “And Alfred can cover them from here. Right?” “I suppose.” Bruce rubbed at his temple. “I don’t look forward to co-ordinating all of them.” Hal smiled—he always enjoyed getting Bruce to slip out from under the professional burden of Batman. “So . . . you’re not busy then?” Bruce quirked a brow in an almost exact copy of Jason. Just less objectively endearing, thought Hal. But subjectively very endearing. “I’m just saying, we could spend the rest of the day together. In bed. Or the shower. Whichever you prefer really.” “It’s the middle of the afternoon, Hal.” Bruce still had some resistance up, turning back to the computer and ignoring Hal sashaying his way over to him. “I just got up. Doesn’t that count as mid-morning sex?” He leaned over Bruce. “I’m only saying, you don’t want to be working and I’m giving you an out. Don’t you miss seeing me naked?” He planted a quick kiss on Bruce’s lips, then spun away, dashing out of reach. Nobody moved for a second. Bruce leapt to his feet, smashing his lips to Hal’s and nearly knocking the man over. Hal held Bruce’s face and slowed the pace, nipping and biting and sucking wetly. Bruce lined Hal’s neck with kisses, gently scraping his teeth along the skin to mark his way. Hal moaned, tossing his head back to give Bruce more room. Seeking out Bruce’s mouth, he drew forwards again. Bruce caught his lips and licked his way into Hal’s mouth . . . Then he ripped away from Hal and stomped back to the computer. Hal looked at Bruce like he’d just whispered ‘Hail Hydra’ in his ear. Bruce jammed his finger onto a few keys, then sighed as confirmation messages popped up on screen. He thundered his way back to Hal and let Hal leap into his arms like the overly spoilt cat he wished he could be. Bruce carried him to the lift, holding Hal securely to avoid jostling him as he stepped out into the study. Bruce pressed the clock entrance shut with his foot and carried Hal to his room, letting the man flop onto the bed unceremoniously and stretch across the sheets. “You’d think you were the one doing the heavy lifting.” Hal opened an eye. “What can I say? I’m still tired.” He pulled himself up. “And whose fault is that?” Bruce smirked. “What can I say? You were the one who wanted something to make up for your time away.” Hal collapsed back onto the pillows. “Fine. It’s my fault. Now punish me by taking the lead.” “I can think of better things.” Suffice it to say, Hal didn’t have any more energy when they were done. . . . But enough to agree to storing the footage of their tryst deep within Bruce’s archives where none of the kids would find it and where it would remain unwatched . . . until the next week, when Hal returned from another brief spell away on Lantern business.

0 notes