If you are into lettering than you may have surely stumbled upon the name Louise Fili at some point.  In the graphic design industry she is legendary. Her New York based firm Louise Fili Ltd. specializes in food packaging and I am sure you may have seen plenty of her work on shelves or pinned repeatedly. Some of the alumni that have come from her studio are the uber talented Jessica Hische & Dana Tanamachi to name but a few.  She is currently getting ready to teach a master class in Typography in Italy, it has limited spaces but I do think it’s worth mentioning for anyone aspiring to be a lettering super star.

For those us mere mortal lettering enthusiasts I highly recommend some of her books, the latest one being Scripts which she co-authored with her equally talented husband Steven Heller. It has over 300 examples of beautiful golden age lettering, it is sure to inspire you to try your hand at some of the pieces.  By the by, that’s a great technique to learn, taking an existing example, tracing it to get the feel and then trying to replicate it free hand.  It’s how Master painters would teach their apprentices, by having them recreate their masterpieces.  It will help you become more familiar with how a piece is created if you try to do it yourself.  Lettering is all about practice. Allow yourself the opportunity to just give it a go and try not to judge yourself too harshly. The other night I was showing some girlfriends how to use the pointed pen + ink, they were hating their work, but the next morning they both agreed that it wasn’t as bad as they originally surmised. I think you will find that as well, if you step away from your work after practicing you will be able to appreciate it with fresh eyes the following day.  Visit Louise Fili, get inspired, buy some of her books or check them out at the library they are great resources.  And remember if you want to get better–practice!