Grafica della Strada

Starred review from January 1, 2015

Noted designer Fili (Elegantissima) doesn't just have good taste in type, she understands that it has a vocabulary all its own. The logos, packaging, and graphic identities the author has created as proprietor of Louise Fili Ltd. rely on distinctive typography that supplies its own associations of time, place, and style. Her knowledge of type's many moods comes from having a collector's eye, which she has shared in more than a dozen books. In this handsome photographic collection, the designer shares her infatuation with Italian typographic street signs. The book consists mainly of photographs of signage grouped loosely by style or function, with minimal text preceding each section. The final chapter profiles Rome's last living sign painter. Picture quality is sharp and the colors pop. The signs' physicality fascinates, and Fili does them justice with long shots providing context on buildings and billboards and close-ups showing off the media: chisel marks, brushstrokes, and gilding. Art nouveau-style (Stile Liberty in Italian) has never looked so natural and nor--surprisingly--has neon. Missing letters, peeling paint, and cracks in mosaic tile only add to the sense of tradition. VERDICT This lovely volume will serve as a wonderful artists' idea book for graphic designers, illustrators, set designers, calligraphers, U/X designers--even cake decorators.--Lisa Peet, Library Journal

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