I released Asterisp on November 26, 2002. The whole idea was to focus on the asterisk, a glyph that usually gets treated as an afterthought. I wanted to give designers more options — a toolkit of asterisks in different styles so they could get more specific about the symbol instead of being stuck with whatever came bundled in their fonts.

Most asterisks use five or six points, but I experimented with pushing beyond that. I found that using more points in lighter weights and fewer in heavier weights created a nice balance across styles. That idea later carried into some of my other designs.

I’ve never seen Asterisp used anywhere, and it didn’t cause much of a stir when it was released, but I think it made the early Typodermic catalog look more interesting. It was a reminder that type design doesn’t always have to revolve around alphabets — even a single glyph can be worth exploring.

Asterisp is unique in my catalog. It might have helped open people’s eyes to the idea that an asterisk doesn’t have to be limited to the standard five or six tines. In November 2022, I placed it into the public domain so it could circulate freely.