Louise Fili

While in college, I found in challenging to really find my style in graphic design. RIT is a modern, tech-forward university and I think that influenced a lot of the design around campus, and thus, the student work. Overtly clean and modern is not my strong suite. Then we were given a project in which we were assigned a formative designer–we were to study this person, write a paper, and create a work of design that reflected the person’s style. I was given Louise Fili, who I had not heard of at the time, and this small piece of fate really changed who I became as a designer.

Looking into Fili’s vintage, hand done, typography-oriented style, something clicked. I realized this style came much more naturally to me. I leaned into it and became a better designer for it, falling in love with hand drawn type and using it in much of my work.

Fili’s work often draws on inspiration from her love of Italy, Modernism, and European Art Deco styles. Recognized for her typography, she’s recieved countless awards for her book jackets, published works, restaurant branding, packaging, and more.

Dana Tanamachi

Coincidently, Tanamachi started her career under Louise Fili. As fake chalkboard art proclaiming ‘Live, Laugh, Love” now fills chain stores like Hobby Lobby and Home Goods, many don’t know that the original trend truly started with Tanamachi. Before the days of Pinterest and Instagram, Tanamachi would host theme parties in her Brooklyn apartment and created a chalkboard wall to create murals as party photo backdrops. These photos would then be uploaded to MySpace, and somehow got to the eyes of Oprah herself. Oprah commissioned Tanamachi to create a similar chalboard mural background for the O Magazine cover, and the rest is history. The trend took off and could be seen in massive brands around the globe.

Today, Tanamachi still celebrates hand down type and processes, but is always a step ahead. Working under Tanamachi Studio, a boutique design studio specializing in custom typography and illustration for editorial, lifestyle, food, and fashion brands, she has been commissioned globally by clients such as Target, Nike, USPS, Penguin Books, Ralph Lauren, Instagram, and West Elm.

Inspired by Dana for years, I had the honor of hearing her speak at Create Upstate conference in Syracuse.

Jon Contino

Another New Yorker–and you can just tell from his work. Gritty, punchy, fast, and smart, Contino’s work has distinct personality and doesn’t worry about being ‘perfectly clean’, a characteristic I love and often try to accomplish in my own work. And much like his work, he himself cuts through the bullshit when talking about his career success in the design world. You can find many of his talks and lessons on Skillshare, his podcast The Nose Knows, and more.

Contino is an influential staple in the design and branding community. As founder and creative director of independent branding studio CONTINO, he has produced award-winning work for household names and received some of the industry’s most prestigious honors. In 2018, Jon published his first book, Brand by Hand, in partnership with Abrams Books.