This Site Creates A Typeface Based On Your Voice

Have you ever wondered what your voice looks like? A new website will create a font based on your voice. Created by The Webby Awards, in partnership with ad agency Ogilvy New York, TypeVoice lets you speak, sing, screech, warble, and whistle into your computer’s microphone, and delivers a custom font in return. The site was launched to announce voting for the People’s Voice Award, which begins on April 5.

In an interview with Jeff Beer for Fast Company’s Co.Create, Ogilvy New York creative director Chris Rowson explained,

Using volume, pitch, and other audio parameters we’ve created algorithms around this data to animate each character and make the text come to life. Because we use different parameters, you get a number of results when you interact with our experience. Yell, laugh, and whistle into TypeVoice and you’ll find yourself surprised.

To create your own custom font, as well as animated GIFs, visit the TypeVoice website. You’ll be asked to allow TypeVoice to access your microphone, and then you’ll “calibrate” the program by reading a number of words displayed on the screen aloud. Then you’ll get to type in your own word or phrase and read it into the microphone, creating your own font. TypeVoice will mold the font according to variations in your speech, so you can make different fonts by playing with your voice. (Believe me, I’ve just frightened all of my neighbors by testing TypeVoice with the highest and lowest registers my voice can reach. It was not pretty).

You can also change individual letters in your alphabet by hovering your mouse over them and making sounds.

The website says that a gallery of users’ fonts will be up soon. Until then, TypeVoice has options for sharing your fonts on social media.

Images: TypeVoice (3)