JHDD Typography Report — 2026.07.26

Connie He’s use of Google DeepMind to develop AI tools for her short film ‘Dear Upstairs Neighbors’ demonstrates new avenues for conceptual letterform creation.

These disparate reports reveal an intensifying friction between evolving authorship models and the persistent demands of typographic clarity. The integration of artificial intelligence into creative processes, such as Connie He’s animation language, introduces new possibilities for visual ideation. Simultaneously, the continued study of historical work, like Milton Glaser’s 1957 menswear catalog, reinforces foundational principles of design communication. The challenge lies in navigating this technological surge without compromising established standards of legibility and conceptual precision.

Mark Nichols, Creative Director at WMH&I, finds inspiration in the “joy of making” and lifelong learning. This emphasis on human curiosity and iterative craft offers a crucial counterpoint to the prevailing industry narrative that champions AI for its sheer speed in generating conceptual letterforms or populating grid systems. While AI can rapidly produce numerous design variations, it frequently overlooks the nuanced micro-typographic adjustments essential for optimal legibility and expressive power. The mainstream opinion often equates AI-driven efficiency with superior output, yet this efficiency can result in visually “correct” but functionally superficial typography, where the subtle interactions between characters or the rhythm of text blocks are diminished. A human eye, guided by experience and an understanding of perceptual psychology, remains indispensable for discerning the precise balance required for effective communication, especially within complex grid structures.

This critical human oversight will likely evolve rather than diminish. By mid-2028, advanced AI tools will begin to offer sophisticated micro-typographic diagnostics, identifying potential kerning conflicts, inconsistent word spacing, or even suboptimal line breaks within a given grid system. However, these systems will function best as intelligent assistants, providing data points and suggestions that still require a typography professional’s final qualitative judgment and aesthetic refinement. The ultimate responsibility for legibility and the communicative impact of conceptual letterforms will remain with the human designer.

The resistance to this purely efficiency-driven approach is embodied by the enduring value placed on work like Milton Glaser’s 1957 menswear catalog. That catalog’s design, originating from a period before automated type setting became widespread, prioritized meticulous attention to detail and clear communication through thoughtfully chosen typefaces and considered page layouts. It represents a design ethos where legibility within the chosen grid system was paramount, reflecting a human-centered approach to visual hierarchy and information delivery that transcends mere stylistic novelty.

A working typography professional should dedicate an hour this week to critically analyzing a high-density text block—perhaps a legal document, a scientific abstract, or a financial report. Manually adjust the tracking, kerning pairs, and word spacing of a single paragraph in design software, observing how minute changes in these micro-typographic elements directly impact perceived legibility and reading comfort, irrespective of the initial typeface choice or grid configuration.

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Curated References