Tim Guy, Creative Director at Google
I would have to say my typographic alter ego is Replica/Bold by Dimitri Bruni & Manuel Krebs at Norm.
There is something immediately comfortable about the typeface. Yet the more time you spend with it, the more of the details you appreciate — while never becoming precious. The letterforms themselves adhere to a tight grid but this structure allows for a flexibility in the ways it can be used to express different ideas.
I’d like to think this is somewhat true of myself and process.
But it could just be, that this method of self-examination is pointing to a thinly veiled desire for Fred Woodward’s career.
Lawrence Azerrad, Principal at LAD Design
I can't get away from Azbuka. I'd call it an alter ego typeface. I've used it in my studio's materials for years. A sans serif without being the typical grotesque (Helvetica, Akzidenz, Univers), the squareness helps to give it some elegance, but it's not overly square, which would make it too digital or computer-y. Azbuka has roots in Cyrillic characters, so it just has a strong design heritage to it while remaining understated. As an alter ego, the typeface reflects designer-ness, without screaming "look at me", something I aspire to.
Eric Graves, Senior Designer at Baker Brand Communications
I don't know that I have one. Perhaps it's yet to be discovered in some dusty type drawer in a small southern town somewhere: Southern Italy or Southern Carolina, either would suit me just fine. But I can tell you of an enduring typographic fascination and enthusiasm if that counts. It would be black letter. Frakturs and many others. It's my typographic hometown. The place from which I set out, abandoned but cannot escape. As a kid in 5th and 6th grade, I graduated from notebook doodling to calligraphy and spent hours and hours trying to perfect those gorgeous black-letter double strokes, liquid curves and swashes. They seemed so fascinating to me. They were a mystery I could never quite understand. I still can't, and I am jealous of others who can.
Now when I look at that type of writing, I see so many more things. I can't believe that one hand style can connote piety, in one context, and, murder in another. Gargoyles, and prison gangs. Church spires and Compton alleys at the exact same time. Perhaps it's utterly appropriate that these letterforms are still soaked in duality, given their source. It still surprises me how well it works in all these different ways on movie posters, street tags, tattoos and logos. And it makes me want to see if I can do that.
David Ly, Jr. Art Director at Designory
After a few drinks in my system, my friends tell me that my "alter ego" comes out where I become a little more talkative, daring, and adventurous. My buddies call me "Liquored-Up Ly" when that happens, as I'm typically a quieter and somewhat reserved. The funny thing is that I still try to keep my composure and stay as classy as possible no matter how red my face turns, but my alter ego eventually takes over and makes an appearance. The typeface that I think somewhat reflects my alter ego is Matrix Inline Script because it's a little looser and playful, but still possesses some classical elements with the serifs.
