Variable Type
An ongoing type experiment that uses machine learning and creative coding to develop typefaces that change in response to physical objects and actions around them. The project seeks to challenge and expand upon the conventional limitations of traditional typefaces.
My idea was loosely based on this sketch I did of a typeface that inflates and deflates like a balloon and everything else followed.
First sketch: The first experiment was a simple experiment where you make noises to increase the size of the letter.
Second sketch: In the second experiment, a gif was created to respond to the increasing and decreasing audio inputs. The audio threshold was lowered so that the person would have to blow air near the computer microphone almost mimicking the idea of blowing a balloon.
Third sketch: In the 3rd sketch, I introduced a pink balloon. I have always wanted to introduce the physical activity of blowing a balloon to affect the program.The idea for the third sketch was to map the pink pixels on the screen to define how much the letter should be inflated or deflated. However, I faced a roadblock in this method where, the pink color wasn't the same in different light conditions. Also as the balloon inflated, the mapped pink color lost its pinkness and became whiter.
Fourth sketch: The final bit of this experiment optimized the code by introducing machine learning (Teachable Machine) and P5.js. The machine was taught with several images to understand what a deflated and an inflated balloon would look like. Based on those labels, the P5.js code projected an inflated or a deflated letter.
P5.js link:
Teachable Machine link:
