Typography & Python

Over the years I’ve worked in a number of environments where typography has been taken extremely seriously. This includes setting up the initial Letraset web presence in 1994 and working with them and International Typeface Corporation (ITC) for a number of years. These experiences have provided me with some appreciation of the craft of designing type and the use of it.

So I was intrigued to see two examples of Python powered typographical tools emerge this week.

Typogrify
The first is a set of template filters for the Django web development platform. Typogrify has been created by Christian Metts and includes a bunch of individual filters that can be used to make your text look the best it can. Jeff Croft explains more. Here is an example on what it does.

A Digital Remake
A little more esoteric is Andrea Novali’s research project into illuminated letters. Sadly I don’t understand Italian so can’t read the research paper itself. But there’s a overview available explaining the basis for the development of a script that creates illuminated letters. The script uses Nodebox, the "core engine in a research project on design automation and artificial creativity" created in a Belgium art college, which looks very interesting as the basis for all sorts of static and animated graphic production. Can’t understand how I haven’t come across this before…