How can you create new letterforms using sound as input? In Sound meets Type, have I studied the form generating qualities of sound as input for a new typography. Through history the technological development has provoked new approaches to type design, which in turn has evolved letterforms. By using generative systems to search for letterforms in a contemporary and technological context, I have created a customized software that uses the data inherent in sound as a form generator for possible new letterforms. The software is developed by using a language called Javascript.  The thesis consist of a written part and a creative part. The creative part is documented within this thesis.

Hur en texts typografiska utformning påverkar hur enkel den blir att läsa är en fråga som har sysselsatt forskare under lång tid. Förhoppningen har varit att få en bättre förståelse för hur läsning går till och hur man bäst bör sätta text för att underlätta för läsaren. Ett problem har dock varit att skapa medvetenhet om forskningens resultat bland dem som arbetar med att sätta text. Tanken med detta examensarbete var att skapa en överblick av forskningen, med inriktning på hur mikrotypografin, det vill säga den typografi som berör detaljer i textens utformning, påverkar läsbarheten i brödtext. Efter litteratursökningar valdes tio vetenskapligt publicerade empiriska studier på detta område ut. Artiklarna beskrevs och diskuterades med hänsyn till deras metodik och deras resultat. Följande mikrotypografiska faktorer behandlades i studierna: skillnader i läsbarhet mellan typsnitt, x-höjdens och teckenavståndets inverkan på läsbarheten, skillnader i läsbarhet mellan gemener, versaler och kursiv text samt skillnader i läsbarhet mellan olika bokstavsformer. Slutsatsen var att forskningen kring läsbarhet ger intressanta inblickar i hur typografin inverkar på läsprocessen. Det begränsade antalet studier på varje område samt brist på studier utförda på svenska gör det dock svårt att skapa konkreta riktlinjer för hur text bör sättas. Vidare konstaterades att studier utförda i samarbete mellan forskare och typografiskt kunniga vore en möjlig metod att sprida kunskap till de typografiska yrkena och öka sannolikheten för praktisk tillämpning av forskningsresultaten. / How the typographic design of a document affects how easy it is to read is a subject that has long been of interest to researchers. The aim has been to reach a better understanding of the reading process, and to find an ideal way to design text for maximum legibility. However, the researchers have seemingly failed to raise awareness about their results in the typographic community. The aim of this thesis was to create an overview of the research into how microtypography – the typography concerned with individual letters and sentences – affects the legibility of running text. Ten empirical studies on this subject, published in scientific journals, were selected after literature searches. The methods and results of the studies were described and discussed. The studies were concerned with the following microtypographic factors: differences in legibility between typefaces, the role of x-height and letter spacing in, differences in legibility between lower case, upper case and italic letters as well as differences in legibility between specific letter shapes. The conclusion was that legibility research gives interesting insights into how typography can influence the reading process. However, the limited amount of studies found concerning each typographic factor, as well as the lack of studies concerning Swedish typography makes it hard to create typographic guidelines for Swedish typographers based on the research. It was also concluded that studies conducted in cooperation between researchers and typographers might be a way to raise awareness about the research and lead to greater practical application of research results.