The best application examples of AI generated fonts

Finding and using AI fonts is not easy for designers. It seems as if the complicated technical hurdle must first be overcome.

PicsArt

Yet there are platforms like PicsArt that offer AI-generated fonts. The data set and model used are not mentioned, but it can be assumed that first a GAN was used to generate the image and then another model was used for vectorisation. More than 30 AI-generated fonts can be tried out directly via their own composition tool.

It is noticeable that the individual letters sometimes look a bit wobbly, but within the fonts they create a consistent appearance. The spacing and kerning of the fonts looks particularly unprofessional. Unfortunately, there is no information about this, but the AI tool iKern would probably have done a better job. Without the rhythm of correct spacing, the fonts are interesting to look at, but not flexible to use.

Uncanny values

For the exhibition uncanny values at the vienna Biennale 2019, the design duo Process Studio developed an AIfont. A DCGAN was trained with 200,000 different fonts to generate new fonts. The generated result is part of the visual identity of the exhibition. The decision was not made in favour of one glyph, but rather a constantly changing typeface with many variants. It shows a generative artwork and puts the process of generation in the foreground. Because of this focus on process, it is not even necessary to convert the letters into perfect vector graphics. Moreover, the intentional non-selection of individual letters shows a small part of the flood of images that can be generated with AI tools.

Album Chain tripping

The band YACHT (Young Americans Challenging High Technology) released their Grammy-nominated album Chain tripping in 2019. Not only do they experiment in a musical way with AI tools, but also the cover and the printed products were created with the help of AI tools. The design uses fonts from the aforementioned project bit tripper as well as the font Obsolete created by Barney McCann. This project "explores what happens when AI tries to transition from one letter to the next most efficiently". The designer does not give any deeper insights into the technology behind the font. It acts as a latent space between the individual letters of the written word and "everything from the sequence of letters in a word to the speed of a computer and a wifi network can affect its final shape". McCann therefore refers to this script as the computer‘s handwriting. Since the appearance of the generated letter depends, among other things, on the previous letter, the result is a very uneven and individual typeface. In this project, the processuality and imperfection of AI-generated fonts was used instead of creating clean typefaces. The fonts underline the experimental approach of the album in terms of content and visuals.

From my research knowledge (January 2023), fonts generated by AI tools are reluctant to be included in design projects. This is probably due to poor access for designers. In the field of art and culture, a few interdisciplinary projects are emerging that explicitly work with AI tools and type. AI tools find their place in most design programs, such as Photoshop, InDesign and FontLab and support the design process. It can be assumed that designers are reluctant to put parts of their work process in the hands of AI tools, as they need human finesse and not mathematical solutions.