Fantastically Fashioned Fonts with Midjourney's /describe
As graphic designers and typographers continue to push the boundaries of their crafts, new creative avenues are being explored thanks to AI and image generators.
While I was glancing over one of my favorite books on design (Edward Tufte’s “Visual Explanations”) I brushed my hand over his chapter on fonts and the reproductions of some of the master crafters from the 15th and 16th centuries.
I took a quick photo of the page with my phone and used Midjourney’s new “/describe” function to use as inspiration. Here’s what it spit back at me:
1️⃣ the alphabet of art, a collection of igor grafi's drawings from the first mona lisa ii book of his mon, in the style of neoclassical symmetry, golden ratio, bold lettering, trompe-l'œil illusionistic detail, heidelberg school, venetian school, camille vivier --ar 3:4
2️⃣ an illustration of the many different letter sizes, each with its own typeface, in the style of renaissance perspective and anatomy, geometric line work, new leipzig school, venetian school, traditional techniques reimagined, precise mathematical structures, alla prima --ar 3:4
3️⃣ the history of the alphabet a, in the style of golden ratio, meticulous inking, arched doorways, new leipzig school, letterboxing, ultrafine detail, tondo --ar 3:4
4️⃣ various logo designs in one book, in the style of golden ratio, masaccio, dynamic lettering, alla prima, grey academia, precise draftsmanship, solarization --ar 3:4
Interesting. After trying a few approaches I decided to use #3 and oh my goodness... it opened up an entire new spectrum of ideas!
It’s like we’re walking into a maze of porticos deep within some medieval Renaissance painting.
A 16th-century font called Macon, which features a series of elegant, carefully crafted letters seems to be the main inspiration for these designs. Influential calligraphers and typographers like Felice Feliciano, Hartmann Schedel, Sigismondo Fanti, Damiano Moille, Luca Pacioli, and Francesco Torniello all contributed to the development of these type of fonts. These masters, known for their meticulous inking and attention to detail, have now become the foundation for a modern take on the alphabet.
To give the ancient Macon font a contemporary twist, Midjourney seems to have transformed the traditional letterforms into three-dimensional architectural arcs adorned with flourishes. This inventive approach combines the aesthetics of arched doorways and the ultrafine detail of the New Leipzig School, resulting in a truly unique font design.
Creating these intricate 3D letters can be a bit challenging as Midjourney has sacrificed its letter workings in the current iterations.
The generator's output isn't always perfect, and it may take several attempts to achieve the desired result - particularly the letter itself - some letters I could never quite get it to spit out correctly
Here’s the entire board in one high res image for your pleasure: