WHO
Think of the works that designers regularly accomplish—logos, packaging, type, restaurant identities, book design, and more come to mind, right? These are all specialties of award-winning designer Louise Fili. What about a travel guide geared just toward designers? Seems unconventional, but it’s been well received by creatives thirsty for inspiration and the insight that can come only from a leader of the industry and an Italian design devotee.

Leave it to Fili to conceive of something so unique. In response to the countless requests she’s fielded for decades from friends, acquaintances, even perfect strangers for advice on destinations in Italy that are design-friendly, Fili created A Designer’s Guide to Italy. “It seemed like it was time to put them all into a book,” the designer says. “I consider this to be my love letter to Italy.”

And no love letter is sweeter or more painstakingly thoughtful. The little book is filled with tidbits of travel advice for designers and Italian ephemera that look so real, it seems like you’re pawing through someone’s travel journal. And you sort of are, except Fili definitely meant this one to be read by fellow visual arts aficionados, and the pieces only look so authentic thanks to the intricate detail of her collaborator, Darby Litho, who used letterpress, embossing, engraving, die-cutting, and more to make the piece so unique. “I’ve enjoyed a very special working relationship with Mike Cohen of Darby Litho for two decades,” notes Fili. “They print everything for us, from small stationery jobs to those as complex as this project.”

WHAT
From the tipped-in sticker on the pristine white cover’s jacket (proclaiming the guide to be No. 1 of a series) to the miniature pocket translator tucked into the back cover, it’s obvious that an extreme amount of thought and a lifetime of experience were poured into this book. Browse just the first few pages, and you’ll find tiny paper marzipan imitations tucked into a pasticceria bag and a reproduction of an orange wrapper that leaves you hungry for more. Fili even offers advice on how you can snag one of the precious few wrappers at the produce market: “You’ll need to explain to the vendor that you would like one of those because they are so extraordinarily beautiful,” she writes. “This can be a delicate negotiation, although as always in Italy, a little flattery goes a long way.”

A Designer’s Guide to Italy also includes wonderful examples of the country’s typography. “Walk along any Italian street for an eyeful of stunning typography. You’ll find it in usual and unusual places,” notes Fili, and follows her claim with newspaper headlines, script encountered on a common brass door-buzzer, and a spread of Italian street signs. You will gain an incredible reverence for this notable designer’s insight (Fili was recently inducted in the Art Director’s Hall of Fame), as well as Darby Litho’s exceptional printing skills (celebrating its 77th year in business), when you come across the stunning replicas of ex votos commonly sold at Italian flea markets to help speed up recovery of an ailment. Thankfully, as the title states, this is just the beginning.