Polite Type

Beth Fileti (she/her), a multidisciplinary designer exploring art and technology. I specialize in systems thinking, communication strategies, and design solutions.

ART
DESIGN
Writing
About

{ things i love }

A random collection of things that I've seen and loved and forgotten and seen and loved again.

sliver of a moon in a cotton candy sky

a high flash photo of a white shirt hanging in a bathroom, with jeans and just a hint of a bra strap hanging behind it

A 1920s yearbook with student names and some of their personality. For example, Favorite saying: "Aw, that's no good" and "I betcha". Pet Pastimes: "Expounding radio" and "Doing just what she is told". Fondest Hope: "First lady of the land" and "Magician". and Fate: "Old maid" and "Curlycue writer"

1920s yearbook

top down view of plants growing in the dirt; it's an odd view and almost abstract

an eggplant with two little growths that look like teeny uplifting arms, almost like a cartoon ghost

a bright blue sky, big fluffy clouds, a line of trees and a slight arch of a rainbow

close up of a sign for a store called bloomfield carpet & something. the image shows mostly the T and a fat funky ampersand

multi-colored orchids with eyeball magnets on them so they look like faces

old signage for "candy" and "cigars" on a grocery store undergoing renovation

pizza shop has a sign in the window reading: your going to say now this is a sandwich

2 rectangular tea cookies with scalloped edges and the words "special tea" in a dainty script on them are on a fleur-de-lis patterned plate

a tree with a hole in the side shaped like the virgin mary is filled with bright flowers

a young girl walking down the street in the rain with an iridescent umbrella covering her face

Walking past a mirror and recording my legs walking by

pizza shop has a sign in the window reading: spring is almost here hang in there

zoom in on a sign behind a bush that has been graffitied with a misspelling of anarchy

ANARKY

On top of a trash can in a park is a long row of full hot sauces

I just found them like this

pizza shop has a sign in the window reading: good luck area sports teams

a pattern of hand-painted bird wallpaper from The Artist Bakery in Morristown NJ

a box of matches with a tiger on it is catching the light on a messy crowded bookshelf

purple christmas lights reflect neon colors and christmas tree texture on to a wall

Brick building with giant letters saying The Tile Store and the T in Tile is slanted and falling

a top view of a healthy succulent in bright light

a blurry image of spring green leaves

the edge where the ceiling meets the wall. they are visually two slightly different tones of gray despite being the same paint color in real life

a mantis bug on the arm of a chair on a porch in the night

close up of the word THE on an old tombstone, the letters are a backslant with reverse contrast.

a close up of vibrant green matcha powder

a yellow gas pump with the price of backwards S.99

a transformer with a mess of wires running into it in front of a clear blue sky

the side of a blue dumpster has marks all over it, including on one side where it looks like a disgusting raccoon tried and struggled to climb the side with its grubby little paws

A hand drawn title page to a book called "The altogether in the altogether the ultimate streakers handbook" and there are two cartoon drawings of naked people running.

On a red brick wall there is a sign reading "Due to the inconsistencies of the Port Authority Bus Terminal clocks, all bus departures are dispatched via cellphone time." And someone wrote "This is BS" on it. And someone else modified that to say "This is a BuS."

a small green bug in the light on a grey porch, just beyond a blurred red corner of a chair

an array of eye drawings from a middle school art fair

a baseball hat and shoes on the ground with keys and wallet and things in them

shadow of a bird walking on top of an umbrella before flying away

a frazzled looking owl statue on a shelf at ace hardware

old signage for "tip top bread" on a grocery store undergoing renovation

a child's sketch of the word life really big and a box in front of the letters saying "is a wonder"

autumn leaves lightly coated in frost and literally glistening in the sunlight

electric grey clouds that almost look computer generated

an old style sign with the word "Closed" in white 70's letters on a blue background, the hours of operation, and the words "for your eyewear"

a photo of two young girls wearing sweaters on a beach in the early 90s

neon pink twine is catching the light on a messy and very full bookshelf

light switch on a white wall with a beam of light across it

pizza shop has a sign in the window reading: this is sub weather.

view of shops in Morristown New Jersey, with an orange awning over "Square Luggage"

Driving past a colorful bus and a roadside attraction of a UFO

UFO drive-by

3 skinny windows in a dark attic showing a vibrant sunset

a child's artwork with a cut out of a male model in a suit and a pencil drawing imitating the pose, which is kind of cubism-styled and cool

two sunny side up eggs in the shape of a face with a ketchup mouth

colorful tea leaves sit in an iridescent infuser floating in milk

plant behind glass with a confusing reflection

pizza shop has a sign in the window reading: you get a good pizza here

glass ball warps a checkerboard pattern underneath it

colored rectangles painted on a wall in dark purple, pale pink, light blue, and a grayish seafoam green

refracting light from the bottom of a drinking glass

night time with a bright light on a collection of yard gnomes

Gnome Town

pizza shop has a sign in the window reading: pizza still the best family value

a half sketch of an old man with glasses asking "cookies anyone?"

the grandma from the tv show The Nanny wearing a black sweatshirt that says Goddess

Icon

a close up of the word Grave carved into the soft gray marble of an old tombstone

pizza shop has a sign in the window reading: hungry ? then get in here

a close up of a shrinky dink bumble bee, like a small wax object

a child's pencil sketch of an old man asking "stories anyone?"

close up of shadows and light refractions on stairs

an worn and out of use mint green barber chair in a small shop

a man is driving and there is a gigantic flying purple squid outside the window in the distance. in the car next to the driver, the people are staring at the squid as well.

a view from the bottom of a deck umbrella against the sky, making an abstract fabric shape

flowers from a weeping cherry tree at night, so they almost feel like jungle vines

a notebook page is covered in the word HI in different colors and sizes, written by a kid

3 skinny windows in a dark attic showing a brilliant blue sky

the shadows of a bunch of house plants against a cabinet

a subway tile worn away and only showing the word "hope"

Early 90s pixel art of a paper and quill on the cover of a print-out journal titled "my september journal"

a sloppily hand drawn sign in a window reading: now closed mondays

a hand drying a pear under a bathroom hand dryer

pear dry

a selfie in some type of worn round metal sign

close-up of the word OF in old style typography on an old tombstone

a spotlight on a toy stegasaurus dinosaur on the railing of a porch at night

shadow of a bird walking on top of an umbrella before flying away

a display at a liquor store is overwhelming with about 20 signs sticking up at various levels among boxes of booze

rain on a short windy tree in a suburban yard

pink wildflowers in the grass in hazy summer light

a messy desk but a bottle of elmer's glue is catching the light

outside of the lincoln tunnel a disgusting mound of dirty old snow is littered with traffic cones

a blurry off-centered shot of a huge warehouse sign for "marcel paper products."

a pink wall with a sign that reads don't postpone joy

I didn't take this photo

vintage wrapping paper with line drawings of trucks in primary colors

pizza shop has a sign in the window reading: spring in here for a good sub

close up of wild flowers in grass with hazy summer light

a 1950s yearbook shows a wide-eyed woman and her quote is "A girl who can't make her eyes behave"

a sign that reads "Creativity is a blood sport"

a bright blue sky and vibrant green leaves

an abstract cut out of a figure is sitting in weird light refractions on a table

a bakery window with a chocolate cake in the shape of a cooked turkey; it is ridiculous

light is hitting the top of an old building in a town, the first floor of the building has a neon sign for Stella Nails

Small bits of making

Black and white lettering spelling "rid them" stacked four times, in a graffiti-style
RIDTHEM
Black and white lettering spelling "rid them" stacked four times, in a graffiti-style
RIDTHEM
Lettering that reads "Very glad that FRIDAY is upon us all"
TGIF
Lettering that reads "Very glad that FRIDAY is upon us all"
TGIF
A breadboard circuit is set up with a set of LED lights. A hand twists a potentiometer knob and the lights lit up in sequence.
LEDs and circuits
A breadboard circuit is set up with a set of LED lights. A hand twists a potentiometer knob and the lights lit up in sequence.
LEDs and circuits
Hand lettering that reads "Forgive Everything"
I disagree with this
Hand lettering that reads "Forgive Everything"
I disagree with this
A portrait of prince made by layering different textures of typography
Prince portrait
A portrait of prince made by layering different textures of typography
Prince portrait
A black and white checkerboard with a wave rippling over it, caused by the illusion of the squares expanding or contracting.
(c)ode to Bridget Riley
A black and white checkerboard with a wave rippling over it, caused by the illusion of the squares expanding or contracting.
(c)ode to Bridget Riley
4 yellow bars making a square shape, with open corners is spinning in the center of a screen. Small blue balls dump into it, and the physics of them bumps and jostles around befoer piling in the bottom.
Playing with physics
4 yellow bars making a square shape, with open corners is spinning in the center of a screen. Small blue balls dump into it, and the physics of them bumps and jostles around befoer piling in the bottom.
Playing with physics
An image of a blue sky with white clouds with another image of a blue sky with white clouds on top of it. The top most image shows sections of a black building wall, as if from a video game where someone is looking up and there is no ceiling, just sky.
An image of a blue sky with white clouds with another image of a blue sky with white clouds on top of it. The top most image shows sections of a black building wall, as if from a video game where someone is looking up and there is no ceiling, just sky.
A photo of a woman at a Trump rally holding a flag that says "Elvis had a stinky butt." The eyes of the woman and people in the crowd are blocked out. And the photo has an animated wavy color effect slowly going across it.
Shaders
A photo of a woman at a Trump rally holding a flag that says "Elvis had a stinky butt." The eyes of the woman and people in the crowd are blocked out. And the photo has an animated wavy color effect slowly going across it.
Shaders
A light moves over a string of LED's and they change color.
Color sensing
A light moves over a string of LED's and they change color.
Color sensing
Rough cut out shapes on a post-it note making a simple neon pink and teal eye
Post-it eye
Rough cut out shapes on a post-it note making a simple neon pink and teal eye
Post-it eye
An accordion fold print piece that says "hair" the letters are integrated with silhouettes of people and a collage of smaller letters forming different hairstyles.
Hair collage
An accordion fold print piece that says "hair" the letters are integrated with silhouettes of people and a collage of smaller letters forming different hairstyles.
Hair collage
Flan Day is written in a brush script and made to be plaid
Flannel Day
Flan Day is written in a brush script and made to be plaid
Flannel Day
Sketches for a two books or movies on top of each other and playing with the words "Those are two different stories" and one book is titled "Michael Myers" and the other is titled "Mike Myers"
Myers v. Myers
Sketches for a two books or movies on top of each other and playing with the words "Those are two different stories" and one book is titled "Michael Myers" and the other is titled "Mike Myers"
Myers v. Myers
Layered cut-outs of a woman holding a flag that reads "You can't hurt me, I'm a wrestling mom."
You can't hurt me
Layered cut-outs of a woman holding a flag that reads "You can't hurt me, I'm a wrestling mom."
You can't hurt me
A gif of a hand holding a banana. The image is sliced into sections and start floating off into space.
Banana split
A gif of a hand holding a banana. The image is sliced into sections and start floating off into space.
Banana split
A close up of a hand-drawn comic showing an alligator
Alligator demolition comic
A close up of a hand-drawn comic showing an alligator
Alligator demolition comic
Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures album cover artwork dyed on a black egg.
Joy Division Egg
Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures album cover artwork dyed on a black egg.
Joy Division Egg
a 3D rendering of an a, made out of shiny blocklike materials. there is the hint of a finger in the frame.
Render of an a
a 3D rendering of an a, made out of shiny blocklike materials. there is the hint of a finger in the frame.
Render of an a
Pencil smudges on top of a blue post-it, animated to form a hand drawn static effect
Hand-drawn static
Pencil smudges on top of a blue post-it, animated to form a hand drawn static effect
Hand-drawn static
A photograph of a woman standing in front of a window has been burned into a leaf.
Photo on a leaf
A photograph of a woman standing in front of a window has been burned into a leaf.
Photo on a leaf
Cardboard sign in a banner shape that says "Strong as Hell!"
Strong as hell
Cardboard sign in a banner shape that says "Strong as Hell!"
Strong as hell
A screenshot of a code sketch and camera view. The code sketch is reacting to the camera view and shows a face drawn by placing letters to correspond with shadows in the photo. The photo is of a white woman (Beth) poking her head through an oval shape, which has been cut out of a white piece of paper.
A screenshot of a code sketch and camera view. The code sketch is reacting to the camera view and shows a face drawn by placing letters to correspond with shadows in the photo. The photo is of a white woman (Beth) poking her head through an oval shape, which has been cut out of a white piece of paper.
graph paper with a sketch of block letters reading SPACE and the E is very far away
SPAC****E
graph paper with a sketch of block letters reading SPACE and the E is very far away
SPAC****E
A screenshot from the NYTimes
Researching roadkill
A screenshot from the NYTimes
Researching roadkill
a rectangular piece of wood with neon bars of bright colors and abstract shapes which vaguely resemble letters but are not letters. Almost like an alien set of words.
Illegible sign
a rectangular piece of wood with neon bars of bright colors and abstract shapes which vaguely resemble letters but are not letters. Almost like an alien set of words.
Illegible sign
A young girl sits on a beach with a cardboard box over her head. The box has ears and a silly face
Solar Eclipse Pinhole Camera
A young girl sits on a beach with a cardboard box over her head. The box has ears and a silly face
Solar Eclipse Pinhole Camera
a cut out of a magazine article on top of a pink paper. certain words are highlighted and connected in zig zag shapes
cut out poem
a cut out of a magazine article on top of a pink paper. certain words are highlighted and connected in zig zag shapes
cut out poem
A block of text that gets more and more complicated and harder to read.
Ugly Website
A block of text that gets more and more complicated and harder to read.
Ugly Website
Black text with a pattern formed by scrolling through scraped data display as white text
Data Scraping
Black text with a pattern formed by scrolling through scraped data display as white text
Data Scraping
String on a polka dot table cloth. Part of sting is white and part of it is purple
Color changes with light
String on a polka dot table cloth. Part of sting is white and part of it is purple
Color changes with light
Thick letters spelling "Future Memoirs"
Future Memoirs Lettering
Thick letters spelling "Future Memoirs"
Future Memoirs Lettering
Cut and painted cardboard with halloween shapes and words, mostly the word Boo
Cardboard Boo
Cut and painted cardboard with halloween shapes and words, mostly the word Boo
Cardboard Boo
A cardboard sign that says "Get On My Lawn"
No-word user flow
A cardboard sign that says "Get On My Lawn"
No-word user flow
A sheetpan covered in sugar has several lines running through it from a marble
Gravity, sugar, and a marble
A sheetpan covered in sugar has several lines running through it from a marble
Gravity, sugar, and a marble
A photograph of Jeff Bezos is being digitally doodled on with red marker, which draws a mustache, squiggles har, and draws a necklace around his neck that reads "jerk." Then a mouse comes over and blurs and distorts the entire image into abstraction.
Jeff is a jerk
A photograph of Jeff Bezos is being digitally doodled on with red marker, which draws a mustache, squiggles har, and draws a necklace around his neck that reads "jerk." Then a mouse comes over and blurs and distorts the entire image into abstraction.
Jeff is a jerk
a collection of Leuchtturm 1917 notebooks
Notebooks
a collection of Leuchtturm 1917 notebooks
Notebooks
a cartoon illustration of a chicken face and the word "eagle"
eagle letters / chicken sketch
a cartoon illustration of a chicken face and the word "eagle"
eagle letters / chicken sketch
A silver moon-shaped orb is floating in front of the screen and both orb and viewer move forward in a field of stars
Moon walk
A silver moon-shaped orb is floating in front of the screen and both orb and viewer move forward in a field of stars
Moon walk
Warning: this is the loudest gif in the world. The gif zooms in and shakes to feel really loud, zooming in on intense red and yellow pixels. (Note, there is no sound.)
Loudest gif
Warning: this is the loudest gif in the world. The gif zooms in and shakes to feel really loud, zooming in on intense red and yellow pixels. (Note, there is no sound.)
Loudest gif
a red square with rainbow pixels that move in and out in a geometric shape based on mouse movement
Rainbow pixels
a red square with rainbow pixels that move in and out in a geometric shape based on mouse movement
Rainbow pixels
Black background and white text with a maze slowly being written in code
Bash maze
Black background and white text with a maze slowly being written in code
Bash maze
Brush script lettering on a wood table near a yellow chair. The script reads "Thanks Erica!"
airbnb thank you
Brush script lettering on a wood table near a yellow chair. The script reads "Thanks Erica!"
airbnb thank you
A young girl has a paper maché Mr Met mask on over her head
Mr Met
A young girl has a paper maché Mr Met mask on over her head
Mr Met
A collage of script letters in the center reading "Comfort Zone" surrounded by symmetrical green white and blue shapes and tiny cut outs of Beth's forehead and eye.
Comfort Zone
A collage of script letters in the center reading "Comfort Zone" surrounded by symmetrical green white and blue shapes and tiny cut outs of Beth's forehead and eye.
Comfort Zone
painted and cut cardboard sign that says aloha
cardboard aloha
painted and cut cardboard sign that says aloha
cardboard aloha
Photo of a Shakespearean sonnet written from an artist driven to madness by having to create work for Jeff Bezos
Shakespearean mad sonnet
Photo of a Shakespearean sonnet written from an artist driven to madness by having to create work for Jeff Bezos
Shakespearean mad sonnet
LED scoreboard which is glitching and not working. It flashes a message that says "Uh oh. Call Aunt Beth."
LED Scoreboard
LED scoreboard which is glitching and not working. It flashes a message that says "Uh oh. Call Aunt Beth."
LED Scoreboard
Digital monster eyes which change colors when a light is shined on them.
Monster eyes
Digital monster eyes which change colors when a light is shined on them.
Monster eyes
a pen plotter is writing the word BRAND with lots of repetitive line work making the letters blocky and hard to read
Pen plotter
a pen plotter is writing the word BRAND with lots of repetitive line work making the letters blocky and hard to read
Pen plotter
Pepper's ghost effect of an image floating in a glass container, like a hologram. It's the face of a young boy and as the camera moves his face distorts across the glass.
Pepper's ghost
Pepper's ghost effect of an image floating in a glass container, like a hologram. It's the face of a young boy and as the camera moves his face distorts across the glass.
Pepper's ghost
Hand-lettered white on dark blue in a script font: Sweet Dreamin
Sweet Dreamin'
Hand-lettered white on dark blue in a script font: Sweet Dreamin
Sweet Dreamin'
A dinosaur stomping closer to the screen roars so loudly that the browser window shakes
Very loud gif
A dinosaur stomping closer to the screen roars so loudly that the browser window shakes
Very loud gif
a group of sketches for a manatee icon
manatees
a group of sketches for a manatee icon
manatees
Beth steps away from the camera with arms outstretched. There are two lines on top of the video with labels for Target Distance and Arm Distance. When the numbers for these reach certain thresholds a flag digitally appears between her hands and flashes between graphics.
Flag pose
Beth steps away from the camera with arms outstretched. There are two lines on top of the video with labels for Target Distance and Arm Distance. When the numbers for these reach certain thresholds a flag digitally appears between her hands and flashes between graphics.
Flag pose
a mapping of different words and branches coming out of the words I hope. Options include "so" or "if" or "because"
i hope if then
a mapping of different words and branches coming out of the words I hope. Options include "so" or "if" or "because"
i hope if then
A hand holding a blue egg with wonky looking white clouds that were drawn on by a robot.
Fun play with egg robot
A hand holding a blue egg with wonky looking white clouds that were drawn on by a robot.
Fun play with egg robot
Read about my experiences in
NYU’s IMA/ITP Program
and
Type@Cooper.
ART
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Polite Type
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