LIGHTER is an emotionally-responsive typographic system that transforms written expression into visual form. Through interactive, generative animations, it responds to the emotional tone of user input, shifting in color, shape, weight, and rhythm. Built as both a journal and a poetic interface, it creates a reflective space where feeling is not just written, but seen and felt on-screen.

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What began as an exploration of type and emotion grew into a broader inquiry into emotional design, affective computing, and typographic semiotics. The project combines custom font design, natural language processing, and animation systems to visualize the unspoken subtext in a user's words.

Conceived and developed as my MFA in Communication Design thesis at the Royal College of Art, LIGHTER integrates personal research, speculative design, and technical experimentation. The project culminates in a fully functional prototype exhibited at RCA 2025, with further plans for live web deployment, anonymous archival interaction, and emotional mapping tools.

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This work draws from my own lived experiences with emotional expression, my technical and visual design practice, and an ambition to build creative tools that care- inviting users to reflect, connect, and begin to see language differently.

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VISIT AT: www.lightertype.com

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