26 sound butterflies
and how
to
catch them
26 sound butterflies and how to catch them is a research project based on the interaction between sound, biomimicry and type design.
Sound vibration is a way in which nature organizes its matter. I wanted to create an organic ephemeral typeface, therefore using sound vibration and a DIY construction with a moving laser beam, as tools for visualizing the volume and frequency of soundwaves.
By using the biomimicry principle as a way to simulate a natural system, the 26 unique characters are mimicking the erratic unpredictable movements of butterlies.
By using the biomimicry principle as a way to simulate a natural system, the 26 unique characters are mimicking the erratic unpredictable movements of butterlies.
I used a visualization tool composed of a speaker that would play 4 soundwaves from a tone generator: sine, square, triangle and sawtooth waves. The speaker was placed into a plastic box, that would itself vibrate. On top of the box a stretched out balloon was attached. And finally a laser that points into a small piece of mirror, attached to the balloon. When the red light reflects from the mirror it generates various shapes, depending on the frequency, volume, wave played.
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![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ee4b688095dd3091e8b8b3953205edfe709b3799213e3b10fc4edc280828fb21/r.png)
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While generating the letters with the laser tool, I wanted to immortalize their ephemeral nature into static shapes and see how moving sound can become a flat character. In order to achieve that I drew the movements on top of the laser letter, while they were moving.
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b067e0b6aa474bd01d1f388ba398403ec4ce4088cbfc90aa5c0d1101867c7389/jhgvjh.png)
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The book documents the process of creating each character, the type of wave used, volume, frequency as well as depicting the drawings together with the immortalized skelletons.
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ff656f1549031df08682276e8b1c75fa5afd579814193c547acf86d28184cdef/hgvgnv.png)
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![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/0e365da219c8de3bac9e96019c4c26cb94885cc777a011d92b5740281f70f1db/poster-typo2-copy.png)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/1c5814e00aab88b386b8cba32c71136225a8e500b2eb908983f5ada8273cd370/hgcvh.png)