Instantly Identify a Printed Typeface With This Innovative Handheld Tool

Inspiration strikes creatives at any moment and often, designers will see printed type they like but can’t immediately identify. Designer Fiona O’Leary has created “Spector” as an answer to this. The tool is essentially a camera, which works by photographing a sample of printed type in a book, newspaper or poster. An algorithm then identifies the typeface, CMYK/RGB color values and even its leading/kerning. With a plugin, the information can be instantly communicated to highlighted text in InDesign, to make your screen’s font to make the printed font in front of you. If you’re not at your computer, the tool can also store 20 different type samples for later. For now the product is still a working prototype, but faces challenges in regards to typeface copyright issues. Alternatively, O’Leary sees her tool to be used for educational and discovery purposes. Check out how it works in the video below.