Archie Lennon
Email address
moc.liamg@11nonneleihcraBiography
I am a Graphic/ type designer based in London. My research led practice is characterised by an interest in design systems. I utilise approaches from psychology, computer science, art, philosophy to enrich, question and elevate my output in the areas of editorial and type design. Over the past year I have focused on pushing traditional design ideas using technology and creative coding, with the hope of defining a more responsive and progressive path in industry.
Portfolio
AFFECTYPE
What if a font could respond to the emotional content of its text?
This was the question that initiated my AFFECTYPE project. AFFECTYPE is at its core an exploration of linguistics, semiotics and the inextricable yet vague link between signifier and signified. The product of extensive research and technical testing resulted in an experimental variable font and a website. Together they allow a user to input words or sentences that will morph into a font that reflects the emotion of the text.
The website uses machine learning api to assign emotion scores to words which will eventually manipulate the appearance of the font. The typeface is comprised of 5 distinct styles that correspond to Elynn Koch’s findings in her 2011 dissertation ‘Human emotion response to typographic design’. Because of the variable font format these styles can be combined in thousands of permutations to thousands of differing degrees to attempt to account for the infinitely complex range of human emotion.
Every A
“To fill out the full space defined by a category such as “A” is an act of infinite creativity, and that no finite entity will be possible of creating all “A’s”
- Douglas Hofstader
My project ‘Every A’ is built from my dissertation that examined generative design and the connection between algorithmic processes and creativity. The quote above from computer scientist and philosopher Douglas Hofstader states that no finite or measurable system could produce an infinitely creative product. But what if I created an infinite system?
‘Every A’ reduces creative process into logical and defined formulae, utilising neural networks and conditional programming to create an infinite feedback loop. The visuals created by this system were so intricate and varied it allowed me to produce hundreds of unique pieces that I printed and finished as business cards.
