Alcorn’s typographic sensibility reached his peak in the realization of logos and colophons. His skill in the use of black and white, his unquestionable ability and imagination made his logos not only effective in terms of communication, but also irresistibly elegant.

Most of them were designed for Italian publishers from the 1970s on, when he restyled the entire visual communication system of Rizzoli. Particularly memorable was the logo for the Biblioteca Universale Rizzoli (BUR) and the invention of the two mirrored Rs forming a smiling face for Rizzoli-Ragazzi. Alcorn’s creativity and his hand were so appreciated that in the following decade, the publisher Mario Spagnol commissioned further projects from him, for the Longanesi, Salani, TEA, Frassinelli and Guanda brands.

The communicative impact of his typography, in fact, won him many projects in Italy for designing various editorial titles. One could say that the Italian publishing industry of the Seventies and Eighties owed Alcorn most of its best titles and mastheads. Periodicals such as Tempo (1976), Prometeo (1982) and Il Messaggero (1989) owe their modernization to him; while other equally high quality graphic design projects – for Giochi (1987), Italia Oggi (1990) and L’Indipendente (1991) – were never used.

The vast number of preparatory sketches that have survived allows one to see and appreciate the wide range of solutions proposed by Alcorn for every project. Often the drafts featured humorous, highly effective combinations and interlacing of shapes and typeface. An example is the eye in the place of the dot on the “j”, for L’Oréal Eyeliner.