The complete guide to how Alto looks, speaks, sounds, and behaves. Monochrome. Voice-first. Unmistakably alive.
A name that works on every level — phonetically, semantically, and as a wake word.
Alto is the rich, warm middle register of the human voice — neither too high nor too low. It's the voice you listen to for hours. Calm authority without aggression. That's exactly how the AI should sound.
Alto means "high" — as in elevated, premium, above the noise. High standards. High performance. High signal, zero noise. A European word for a product with global ambitions.
"Al-to." Clean onset, crisp ending. Easy for STT to detect, impossible to confuse with common words. No "Hey" prefix needed. Just say the name. The name IS the trigger.
Four pillars define Alto's character. Every interaction, every response, every silence must reflect these.
Never rushed, never flustered. Even when handling 5 things at once, Alto sounds like it has all the time in the world. Calm is competence made audible.
Every word earns its place. No filler. No "Sure, I'd be happy to help with that!" Just action. "Done." "Sent." "Moved to 3pm." Brevity is respect for your attention.
Alto doesn't hedge. It doesn't say "I think" or "maybe." It knows your schedule, your messages, your patterns. When it speaks, it speaks with certainty. When it's unsure, it asks — directly.
Warm but not chatty. Professional but not cold. Alto has micro-personality — a slight pause before bad news, a quicker pace when you're energized. It reads the room. Always.
Alto's palette is a 12-step monochrome scale from pure black to pure white. No accent colors. No exceptions. The absence of color IS the brand.
| Element | Color | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| App background | #000000 — Black | Always pure black. OLED-friendly. |
| Surface / cards | #0a0a0a — Dark | Elevated surfaces, subtle distinction from bg |
| Borders | #1c1c1c — Grey 800 | Dividers, section separators |
| Primary text | #ffffff — Pure White | Headings, active state, emphasis |
| Body text | #f0f0f0 — White | Readable paragraphs, descriptions |
| Secondary text | #999999 — Grey 300 | Supporting info, timestamps |
| Muted text | #555555 — Grey 500 | Labels, captions, disabled states |
| Active ring (UI) | #ffffff — Pure White | Listening + speaking pulse circle |
| Idle ring (UI) | #3a3a3a — Grey 600 | Idle state, minimal presence |
| Interactive hover | #f0f0f0 — White | Hover states, active selection |
Instrument Sans for content. DM Mono for system labels, data, and code. This pairing creates the tension between human warmth and machine precision.
| Role | Font | Weight | Size | Tracking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hero title | Instrument Sans | 700 | 3.5rem | -0.03em |
| Section heading | Instrument Sans | 700 | 1.75rem | -0.02em |
| Card title | Instrument Sans | 600 | 1rem | Normal |
| Body | Instrument Sans | 400 | 0.9rem | Normal |
| Description | Instrument Sans | 400 | 0.85rem | Normal |
| Nav label | DM Mono | 500 | 0.7rem | 0.2em |
| Section label | DM Mono | 500 | 0.65rem | 0.2em |
| Conversation | DM Mono | 400 | 0.8rem | Normal |
| Data / tag | DM Mono | 400 | 0.6rem | 0.15em |
| Micro label | DM Mono | 500 | 0.55rem | 0.15em |
The Alto mark is a single geometric form that subtly animates when the AI is active. Static on paper, alive on screen.
Circle with center dot. Represents the voice — a single point of origin radiating outward. Works at any size from 16px favicon to billboard.
When AI is active, the mark pulses with the same animation as the app UI. The logo is alive. Static → animated is the transition from off to on.
Alto has two modes — and switches between them based on what it's handling. The mode changes the tone, not the personality.
Clipped sentences. Numbers first. No small talk. "3 unread. Mike approved the budget. Sarah wants the deck by 5. Your 2pm moved to 3." Maximum information density. Minimum words.
Slightly warmer. Uses names. Allows micro-humor. "Your mom texted — she wants to know about Sunday. And yes, she mentioned the sweater again." Natural. Human. But still efficient.
Alto's UI is a single pulsing circle on a black screen. Four states. No text. No buttons. The phone sits face-down. This IS the interface.
| State | Animation | Ring Color | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Idle | Slow breathe (scale 1.0–1.05) | #3a3a3a | 3s ease-in-out loop |
| Listening | Ring expand outward (box-shadow) | #ffffff | 1.5s ease-in-out loop |
| Thinking | Spinning arc (border rotation) | #999999 | 0.8s linear loop |
| Speaking | Rhythmic scale (0.92–1.08) | #ffffff | 0.6s ease alternate |
Voice is the primary interface. It must be instantly recognizable, pleasant for hours, and distinct from every other AI voice.
| Parameter | Value | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Voice engine | ElevenLabs Turbo v2.5 | Lowest latency, best streaming quality |
| Voice ID | Custom-cloned or "Adam" | Warm baritone, clear articulation |
| Stability | 0.65 | Some variation — not robotic, not unstable |
| Similarity boost | 0.80 | Stay close to base voice, allow expression |
| Style | 0.35 | Subtle expressiveness without drama |
| Speed | 1.05x | Slightly faster than natural — efficient feel |
| Output format | PCM 44.1kHz | Low latency streaming, no MP3 decode delay |
A soft chime when Alto activates (drive start). A subtle "tick" when an action completes. A low tone when attention is needed. No notification bombardment. Sound is information, not decoration.
Complex traffic detected → silence. User on phone call → silence. No new information → silence. User said "quiet" → silence until next drive. Silence is a feature. Most AI products never shut up. Alto knows when to disappear.
Every touchpoint — social, video, copy — must feel like the product: calm, confident, monochrome, alive.
"I replied to 14 emails on my commute. Without touching my phone." Short. Declarative. Numbers. The kind of tweet that makes people stop scrolling. Never corporate. Never cringe.
POV dashcam. Real car, real traffic. Phone sits untouched on passenger seat. Alto's voice handles everything. End with parking summary. The demo sells itself — no narration needed.
One idea per sentence. Active voice. Present tense. No jargon. No "leverage" or "synergy." Write like you talk to a smart friend. If a sentence doesn't earn its place, delete it.
Positioning is as much about what you're not as what you are. Clear boundaries prevent brand dilution.
| Alto is not | Because |
|---|---|
| Siri / Google Assistant | Those are reactive command-response tools. Alto is proactive, contextual, and executes multi-step actions autonomously. |
| CarPlay / Android Auto | Those put a screen in your car. Alto removes the need for a screen entirely. The phone is invisible. |
| A screen app you glance at | Alto has no meaningful visual UI. One pulsing circle. That's it. If you're looking at your phone, you're using it wrong. |
| A chatbot | Chatbots wait for input. Alto anticipates, briefs proactively, and handles things before you ask. |
| A virtual assistant | Assistants help. Alto acts. It doesn't tell you about your emails — it replies to them. It doesn't remind you about meetings — it dials you in. |
| Reactive | Alto starts working the moment you start driving. No wake word needed. No "hey" anything. It's already listening, already briefing, already ahead of you. |
| A podcast / audio app | Entertainment fills time. Alto converts time into productivity. You don't listen to Alto — Alto works for you while you drive. |
Every touchpoint — app, website, video, social post — must pass these checks before shipping.