Good Time

What pieces or projects have you been working on lately?
It is still wild to believe if I think back to 2020 when I sat at my desk to learn Glyphs, but 2026 kicked off with two really lovely custom type design jobs that I am stoked about and unfortunately can’t say much about. One has been a fully bespoke display sans, while the other is a really fun modification of Ufficio Display. I have been working on creating a path where I can spend more time on bespoke projects and generally be more intentional with the projects I take on, as a lot of my spare time still goes towards the work we do at ALT.tf.

What did you learn (or unlearn) while working on them?
I think each project can be a great teacher if you listen carefully. Working with large-scale entities is always something I find enlightening, as you do get to see the inner workings and behind the scenes of companies that shape the current discourse and economy. It's not always nice, but it's surely important to understand. When you work as an outsider with large-scale studios, you also get to see how different creative directors run their studios, from the people they choose to the design processes and techniques they use.

What words, ideas or emotions were going through your head?
I'm not really an emotional worker; I think the best design comes from instinct and nuance, so at the early stages of projects, I like to let my creative juices just do their thing and shape the direction the project will take. Working with clients, especially at some level, is actually a lesson in being humble but also not falling in love with an idea too much, as at the end of the day, it's their call (sometimes even against my advice), and as a service provider you have to learn that. I think a lot of designers see themselves as artists a lot more than I do. Turning 30 and shedding some of that adolescent lingering sense of ego helped, as I can see my work more clearly and be less emotionally attached to it.

Were there any conversations, movies, music, or books that made their way into that work?
I don't think this ever crossed my mind, but lately I have been thinking a lot about two books that I read in the past years and that have been coming back to me when thinking about work, labour as a concept, and society in general. One is Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk, and the other is The Word for World Is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin. In their own particular way, they are metaphors for the way humans impose their way of living and societal norms on other humans, on nature, and on planets as a whole. I often think about these books in search of a revolutionary thought to keep me critical.

I don't think the media and literature I consume informs or finds its way into my work much more than the fact that sometimes I love using excerpts from things I think are worth reading to showcase my fonts. I think I've always thought it was a nice way to show more about myself as a person, if you listen closely.

What's been the most difficult thing you've faced recently in your creative process?
I think there's a point for everyone working in a creative career where the main difficulty is to get your work seen, appreciated, and valued. I think the balance is always making sure you're not forgetting to be creative while trying to be a marketer. I don't love the contentification of work, passions, and life we're living, but I also am not above it or able to live on the periphery of it, so I'm just conscious of the importance of balance and honesty. This is probably the factor I struggle with the most often: to be seen enough and in a personable way, but not too close, never too personal.

What is your favorite restaurant and what do you recommend we order?
I have just moved out of London and I miss so many of my local staples, so I will have to list my three last meals: Andu (Ethiopian—one thing on the menu, a proper family business), Mangal 1 (Turkish—absolutely get a bit of everything), and Monohon (ramen—he soupless vegetarian ramen is really something special).

If your life were a movie this month, what would it be called and who would write the soundtrack?
Probably Good Time, by the Safdie brothers — loads of fast-paced, high-anxiety stuff going on. The soundtrack is pretty good as it is; I’m pretty sure it’s by Oneohtrix Point Never and they got an award for it, so who am I to replace it.

Which studios, laboratories, or workshops have you collaborated with recently or would you like to collaborate with in the future?
I do collaborate regularly with studios as an external contractor. I have worked with Koto, Soho House, Type01 Studio, Studio Moross and The Ready House. I do love working with studios, as it gives me (someone who has always been a one-man band) some insight into the ecosystems keeping these places alive and buzzing. I like to be able to dip in and out of it, though, as it does tend to wear me out — not the work itself, but the more structural process of how everything has to travel through departments and heads and get approval, etc. I like the breathability of a day where I am the only one to manage and be managed by.

Recommend one or more artists you follow who inspire you, and tell us what you like most about their work or their way of working.
I have been loving the work of so many designers lately; it's just unfair and impossible to narrow it down to an answer. So I will just share some stuff I loved recently in the type design world.

I loved seeing the behind the scenes of Dargon coming to life as Anne-Dauphine Borione shared parts of her process. I loved the latest release by Jahn Koutrios, and I just genuinely appreciate and am inspired by art—and in this case type design—being unapologetically political. And lastly, I think this is so fun, and I love the return of collage ready-made graphics. I think it was such a fun trend; it's good to see it applied commercially on a brief that actually makes it make sense.