[4 of Louise Fili’s Mardell specimen posters]

Louise Fili did a remarkable thing with her first-ever typeface, the Italian Futurist-inspired HWT Mardell. She made a geometric design without strictly adhering to a system. She allowed herself to play, resulting in innovative solutions to problematic characters. With its angular, constructed letterforms, the no-nonsense design is also a fitting tribute to the woman it was named for: veteran Hamilton Manufacturing type cutter Mardell Doubek. Now, this design exists in two formats: digital and wood. These four signed, limited-edition posters were printed straight from wood type. (And the printer did a remarkable job, as printing these fat, flat colors would not have been easy.) Lovely things about letters and food (in italiano).