When you need to pick fonts

Poster, website, report—whatever the job, you want a headline that pops and body text that sits in harmony. Good pairing makes a simple layout feel like a small piece of art.

What Fontjoy does

Turns letters into numbers. Fontjoy scans every Google Font and builds a “secret code” for each one—thick or thin, serif or sans, and so on (it relies on a vision model called VGG16, if you enjoy the technical side).

Finds balanced contrast. You don’t want two fonts that look identical, nor a combo that clashes. Fontjoy compares those codes and searches for pairs that are alike — but not too alike — so the result feels lively yet orderly.

One-click shuffle. Lock the headline face, hit “Generate,” and fresh body options appear instantly.

Why you’ll like it

Saves hours. Skip the endless scrolling through font catalogues.

Sparks fresh ideas. Suggests matches you might never test by hand.

Open and free. Easy to try, easy to tweak.

Things to keep in mind

Google Fonts only. Fontjoy’s current pool stops there, so it misses many excellent typefaces—think of boutique gems by designers like Laura Meseguer.

Machine vision ≠ human taste. The tool sees shapes we ignore and ignores details we love; your eye still has the final word.

What’s next

Larger distributors are already adapting similar code to much wider libraries. The hope: a pairing engine that covers every foundry—from corporate workhorses to handcrafted originals—without losing the craft of independent type designers.

Bottom line

Fontjoy shows how smart software can handle the heavy lifting of font pairing. Let it sort the options; you keep creative control.

In the winter of 1860, Abraham Lincoln needed an image that matched the myth. The solution was simple—cut off one head, paste on another.

Step 1 — Borrow a statesman’s torso (John Calhoun, 1840s).

Step 2 — Replace the face with Lincoln’s own.

Step 3 — Publish engravings, circulate prints, let the public meet a taller, firmer, “destined” leader.

No neural nets. Just scissors, glue, and a clear objective: shape perception.

Why this matters now
Technique changes; motive repeats. Photomontage in 1860, DeepDream in 2015, diffusion models in 2025. Different buttons, same desire: bend reality toward a narrative.

Ethics follow intent, not code. The danger is seldom hidden in the pixels; it sits in the brief behind the screen.

Audience complicity is constant. Voters in 1860 embraced the heroic print. Viewers in 2025 double-tap the flawless portrait. We reward the fiction that flatters us.

Questions worth asking
If Lincoln’s “hero shot” had surfaced today, would we label it misinformation or clever branding?
Where is the line between harmless retouch and manipulative rewrite?
Should we watermark synthetic images—or watermark every image, because the toolset no longer tells us who to trust?

Working at the heart of technological impact has led us to one clear truth: our strength lies in the experience and insight we carry, not in the complete control of every new tool. We have seen professionals, operating with only a few basic settings, achieve internationally acclaimed results. This isn’t a call for inaction—instead, we want to help you decide how to manage your time, handle frustration, and even confront your fears.

We are in a unique moment where everything we have learned over the years can be revived and put into practice again. Machine-based tools can become an extension of our analytical and visual minds, detecting patterns and drawing conclusions that we might never have uncovered on our own. Likewise, we find ourselves at the intersection of the analog and digital worlds.

After your initial phase of analysis, choose one tool and begin refining your skills with it. Focus on two or three key functions, and work them in depth until you have extracted every bit of their potential. Only then will you be ready to push ahead.

This process may take months, and that is perfectly fine—what you are doing is creating, analyzing, and taking control.

We make thousands of decisions every day, some quickly and others after careful thought. Psychologist and Nobel Prize-winning economist Daniel Kahneman, in his influential book Thinking, Fast and Slow, explains that we operate with two systems of thinking: one fast, one slow.

System 1 is automatic. It is fast. Intuitive. And it works quickly, with little effort or voluntary control. This system helps us recognize patterns, react to threats, and perform familiar tasks. It is instinctive and efficient. For example, when you see a friend’s face in a crowd you instantly recognize them. When you slam the brakes to avoid an accident, you don’t think about it first. When you read a familiar or a simple sentence you’re using System 1. But… while it's fast, it’s not perfect. System 1 relies on cognitive shortcuts, which can lead to biases and errors in judgment, especially when situations are complex or unfamiliar.

System 2 is more reflective and analytical. It is slow. And it is deliberate. You don’t do this type of thinking unless you make time for it. This deeper thinking kicks in when we’re solving problems, learning something new, or making difficult decisions. This system takes effort. Whether you're comparing job offers, doing your taxes, or trying to learn advanced math, you're engaging System 2. It’s slower, but more accurate and logical. System 2 is easily fatigued, and because it takes more energy, we tend to avoid it when possible. “Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it.” - Henry Ford

Both systems are important. System 1 helps us function efficiently and stay safe in emergencies. System 2 allows us to think critically and plan for the future.

The key is knowing when to pause. Before making a snap decision, especially in high-stakes situations, it’s worth slowing down and letting System 2 weigh in. Understanding how we think is the first step to thinking better. Sometimes fast is necessary, but when accuracy matters, slow wins. In our information oversaturated world we are tempted to value simple fast solutions and explanations. But over-simplification is the first step to stupidity. The1980s Depeche Mode sang: "Is simplicity best Or simply the easiest?”

Leaders in the creative industries thrive on fresh ideas and fast intuition—but true innovation requires more than just flashes of inspiration. Leaders need to practice system 2 thinking. It does not come naturally. System 2 thinking is essential for refining bold concepts, making strategic decisions, and avoiding cognitive traps. By engaging in deeper reflection, leaders can evaluate risks, consider diverse perspectives, and turn raw creativity into real value and vision. Intuition and automatic thoughts may spark the idea, but it's System 2 that shapes it into something real and impactful.

In our hyper-connectivity we are paradoxically more isolated than ever. Glued to our screens and doom scrolling social media feeds, and we constantly broadcast our personal and professional lives. All this instead of having real conversations. MIT professor Sherry Turkle calls this phenomenon “alone together.” This loneliness comes from the illusion of human connection that occurs when digital interactions replace meaningful relationships. Over 70% of young adults report feeling lonely, in this illusion of connection, many young people struggle with a sense of emotional disconnection.

The problem isn’t the technology itself. The problem is that we allow it to substitute real human connection. Our IRL conversations become fragmented, we talk rather than listen. The short video format has infiltrated conversation, there is no room for deeper conversations. Keep it short or lose your conversation partner’s attention.

How can we reclaim real connection? Both professionally and personally.

Prioritize presence, put away devices during conversations and focus on the people around you. Sure, people might often not be as interesting as that message that you just got notified about. But one thing is certain, if you are not present in the conversation, it will not be worthwhile.

Creating tech-free spaces is another way. It might seem too simple, but it works. There should be phone-free zones at the dinner table, in meetings, or before bed. It feels uncomfortable at first, but it is surprisingly easy to get used to.

Make the effort to engage in real conversations. Call instead of texting, meet in person when possible, and listen with full attention. It takes more time, and it is not always so fantastically meaningful or fun, but this is the most powerful way to improve relationships.

Reconnect with meaningful social moments, and engage in shared experiences. It is more comfortable to watch another episode on Netflix than get dressed and take the bus to some social event. It always is. But these art, hobby or community events are natural ways to expose ourselves to a richer, more fulfilling social life.

Want to know how you can combat digital isolation in your workplace? Neurona can help.

The Luddites was a movement in the early 1800s England. They were textile workers that opposed the industrial revolution because the new technology threatened their jobs. The activists destroyed factories and were harshly crushed by the authorities for being anti-progress.

Today the term Luddite describes anyone who resists or opposes new technology. Don’t like crypto? You are a Luddite! Annoyed by TikTok? Typical Luddite. Hate AI? You are definitely a Luddite.

While rejecting technology outright is stupid, being concerned about harmful economic and social disruptions technology causes is not. One of many concerns about the explosive growth of AI is that it risks eroding the power of words.

Sigmund Freud’s quote about words being magic is about the power of words. This was in the year 1910 when words were written by hand or mechanical typewriters. Texts were still something created with intent and effort.

Have words lost their magic?

AI large language models can generate impressive texts on any subject, regardless of how complex or abstract they are. AI enables massive, rapid text generation and produces an insane volume of words. Over 50% of all texts on Linkedin are now AI generated. More than 18% of all Google search results were AI generated texts according to a study in November 2024, and this percentage grows each month.

The sheer abundance of texts dilutes the significance of all text, regardless of the writer being human or AI. The massive volume of text being produced leads to content saturation. There is simply too much text with no one to read it. The term for this avalanche of text and other low quality content is “AI Slop.”

Perhaps this is not really an issue as most adults cannot read. Over half of the adult population of the USA read below an 11-year old’s reading level. Twenty percent of Americans are completely illiterate. It is not only low socio-economic Americans, in 2024 universities in Sweden reported a crisis of illiteracy; even students with the best grades cannot read and understand the course literature.

Everything that becomes available in overabundance loses its magic. Photography, air travel, and vanilla are all examples of things that once they became overabundant, they lost their magic. Before the cheap synthetic flavor was available, vanilla was exciting and lustful. Marquis de Sade served vanilla drinks to his guests to enhance the magic. Today’s meaning of the word vanilla reflects this change. In addition to the actual flavor, vanilla also means “unexciting and boring, the simplest version of something, basic and ordinary.”

The English Luddites lost their battle against industrialisation. Similarly, anyone who battles generative AI will also lose. And ultimately words will become unmagical like artificial vanilla flavor.

A group psychological phenomenon that dampens creativity is that people in groups tend to agree with the majority. If many individuals in a group have a certain opinion, there is a strong tendency for the rest of the group to agree with them. It doesn't matter if the majority is wrong, the others are likely to accept whatever the majority says. This limits the group's ability to think creatively.

To avoid groupthink teams need deviants.

A deviant is someone who maintains an opposing or unusual position. The deviant has and expresses opinions that go against the prevailing and accepted norm. Research has shown that groups with deviants are much better at generating original ideas and better at creative problem solving.

Deviants promote creativity by stimulating the rest of the group to think in new ways, with new perspectives. Groups with deviants tend to consider to a greater extent a greater number of alternatives before making decisions. The group is also stimulated to acquire new knowledge and also to use new methods, which in turn stimulates creativity. Interestingly, the deviant is not necessarily right, it doesn't really matter if what the deviant says is correct or not. By freeing other group members so that they also dare to express their different opinions or ideas, the deviant creates a more open and creative climate. In order for the deviant to stimulate the group's creativity, in addition to initially expressing his position, he must also be prepared to maintain it over time. It is important that the deviant is authentic. When someone takes on a deviant role, such as devil's advocate, this does not stimulate creativity as well as when the deviant is authentic and really means what they say.

Do you want to boost creativity by increasing healthy dissent and deviance in your team? Neurona can help.

Reference: Curşeu, P. L., Schruijer, S. G. L., & Fodor, O. C. (2021). Minority Dissent, Openness to Change and Group Creativity. Creativity Research Journal, 34(1), 93–105.

The German sociologist Hartmut Rosa has become an intellectual “rockstar” for his ideas on modern society. His 2018 book “The Uncontrollability of the World” is about how we as a society relentlessly strive for control, control over nature, technology, social structures, and even our own personal experiences. All this control leads to unhappiness and alienation. Our modern life is dominated by the pursuit of predictability, efficiency, and mastery over the world. We seek to make everything available, measurable, and manageable.

We as a society are getting better and better at controlling our world, but many people experience a growing sense of detachment. When the world becomes a series of objects and processes to be optimized, it is difficult to authentically engage with life. Rosa uses the term “resonance” to describe a state of meaningful connection with the world that cannot be forced or controlled. In our efficient predictable world we do not feel resonance.

Some aspects of life, such as love, art, nature, and deep human experiences are fundamentally uncontrollable. Attempts to forcefully structure or manipulate these experiences often destroy their meaning and their essence. Rather than trying to dominate the world, we should strive for openness, allowing for unexpected encounters and deeper resonances. It is in these areas, art, nature, and human experiences that we feel the most connected and “resonate” with our world.

Research has shown that creativity exercises can be very effective at increasing our creative thinking. The type of exercise has to be appropriate for the individual and for the situation. Luckily there are thousands of exercises to choose from. Here are some of our favorites:

Magic Randomness
A simple and quick favorite. Here you let a randomly selected word guide you and help you generate ideas. Any text can be used—magazines, advertisements, or even emails. For example, if you're brainstorming ways to attract customers to a theater and pick the word "muscles," your ideas could include:

• Special theater nights for gym members.
• Stretching exercises during intermissions.
• Hiring a bodybuilder as a promoter.
• Performances focused on body and health themes.

What Would the Celebrity Do?
This exercise uses famous figures to spark creative solutions. Imagine how different celebrities would solve a problem. For instance, how would Madonna, Ronaldo, or Elon Musk attract younger blood donors?

The Dream
Dreams can unlock creativity. Try these steps:

• Keep a notebook by your bed to capture thoughts.
• Think about a problem before sleeping.
• Wake up 30 minutes earlier to recall dreams.
• Write down immediate ideas upon waking.

Wake Up in a New Way
Breaking routines can inspire creativity. Try getting out of bed differently each morning—crawl like a snake, jump up like a child, or roll out like a log. Observe how these changes affect your day.

Since the NFT era emerged, creators, collectors, and galleries found themselves torn between investment and skepticism. The allure of easy money lured many into ventures they barely understood. With the rise of machine-generated creativity, the NFT hype has taken a back seat. Yet, the true value of an NFT isn’t found in its aesthetic appeal—it lies in its smart contract. This immutable title deed records every stage of an object’s journey: its previous owners, modifications, and price history.

This breakthrough is set to disrupt traditional contracts, even if society isn’t quite ready for the change. In the near future, vehicles, homes, cherished items, and creative works—handcrafted or electronically produced—will increasingly be transacted through NFT agreements. For galleries and collectors, our advice is straightforward: begin issuing or requesting two types of property transfer certificates—the conventional contract alongside its blockchain-based counterpart.

Want to learn more? Just ask us.

Tolerance of Ambiguity is an interesting personality trait. It can also be seen as a learnable skill or a skill that can be exercised. We feel ambiguity when we need to deal with unfamiliar, conflicting, or overwhelming information. People with low ambiguity tolerance feel discomfort in uncertainty and they need clear answers and quick resolutions. They don’t like the feelings of not knowing.

Individuals with high tolerance of ambiguity are comfortable with open-ended questions, multiple interpretations, and unresolved problems. This personality trait is often linked to creativity, as it allows for flexible thinking, exploration of novel ideas, and resistance to rigid or premature conclusions. In essence, it enables individuals to thrive in environments where information is incomplete or contradictory, making it a valuable skill for innovation and problem-solving.

Though the idea has been around since the 1960s, it often gets overlooked. At Neurona, we think it deserves more attention, especially for creative professionals. Creative professionals need to have a high tolerance of ambiguity. They need to be ok with not knowing, be comfortable with unclear, contradicting and conflicting information. A high tolerance of ambiguity means staying open when things are unclear, resisting the urge to jump to conclusions, and not agreeing with group consensus. Building a stronger tolerance of ambiguity fuels creativity, encourages flexible thinking, and helps prevent sloppy and rigid conclusions. It is a superpower for innovation and creativity!

Are you curious what your Tolerance of Ambiguity is? Take the free test here: Tolerance of Ambiguity Test

This review examines the transformative potential of generative tools in creative practice and design. Ever since subscription-based machine intelligence apps emerged, our feeds have been flooded with content that mimics reality or fuses it with fantastical elements.

Yet, true creative exploration lies in scrutinizing every nuance. Instead of chasing a polished final product, the focus is on examining each texture and detail—using these tools as instruments to grasp the underlying principles that shape creative expression. Solid knowledge and careful preparation are the backbone of outcomes that truly matter. This image is AI generated in this etching research:

This exploration into human self-perception is both enlightening and deeply human. Professor David Dunning’s work gently reminds us that our inexperience can often make us believe we’re more capable than we truly are—and that even the most skilled among us sometimes undervalue our own talents.

What truly resonates is the understanding that this isn’t about labeling ‘the incompetent’—it’s a universal human challenge. The irony lies in the fact that those who fall into the trap of the Dunning-Kruger effect are completely unaware of it.

This reflection encourages us to question our own certainties and to appreciate the value of admitting when we don’t know something. We are at a time when social networks and low-cost digital advertising give visibility to people infected with this virus. You have to learn to identify them, or they will get you even in the kitchen.

Full paper here

In both academic and corporate settings, we witness a growing trend: people employ various techniques and applications to craft texts that slip past AI detectors.

While this approach may seem practical in the short to medium term, it's vital to recognize that these detection rules are in constant flux—sooner or later, your generative content will be flagged. At neurona, our stance is clear: use these tools only if they serve as a bridge for translating your own ideas into knowledge. Otherwise, you risk locking yourself into transient fixes that do little to foster lasting innovation.

Promptography remains largely unspoken. What might seem like a new field is, in fact, an evolved creative role built on solid experience in both analogue and digital audiovisual production.

Mastering technical and intricate prompts transforms generative applications into powerful allies, turning every piece of know-how into an asset. Follow our reviews for insights on the tools we trust and refined techniques that elevate this practice to a new level of sophistication.

Failure is no longer seen as a personal shortcoming but has become an essential element of progress. In earlier times, misfortune was explained by fate or social conditions; however, in the age of American hyper-capitalism, economic setbacks came to define individual worth.

Over the past two decades, a notable shift has occurred: failure is now accepted not as an inherent flaw but as a driver for learning and development.

Notable milestones have reshaped this perspective—from the bold celebrations of failure at events like FailCon and Fuckup-night to its growing acceptance in high-level business discourse. Influential discussions in respected publications and leaders attributing their progress to early missteps have helped to normalize failure as a factor in decision-making and creative breakthroughs.

This refined understanding challenges us to reconsider how we view setbacks. By accepting that failure is a transient state, we open ourselves to a more measured approach that values the lessons hidden in every misstep, ultimately supporting a thoughtful path to continuous innovation.

We are obsessed with perfection. Flawless Instagram images, the perfect home refurnishing and meticulously designed everything and anything. Our aesthetic is that of perfection, symmetry, and control. But, perfection is often uninteresting. It is boring. Wabi-sabi, a Japanese aesthetic, offers a different perspective, that beauty is found in imperfection, transience, and the unfinished. Wabi-sabi appreciates the imperfect and the incomplete, and natural decay is an essential element of all beauty.

Neurological studies indicate that the human brain responds with greater interest to variation and unpredictability. Pristine newness is never as interesting as the history and humanness of something used and worn. Wabi-sabi is not limited to traditional Japanese art, it offers digital designers and content creators a radical alternative. By leaning into imperfection, unedited writing and raw images they can create work that feels more authentic and emotionally engaging.

The idea that failure is a personal defect, rather than a result of temporary circumstances is an American invention from the 1800s.

In his book Born Losers: A History of Failure in America, historian Scott Sandage argues that failure was transformed from an external event into an internal identity. With the intensive industrial capitalism a person's self-worth became tied to economic success. A struggling entrepreneur was no longer temporarily unlucky, but was labelled a moral and psychological failure. In pre-industrial societies, misfortune was often attributed to fate, divine will, or social conditions. But in American hyper-capitalism, failure became proof of individual deficiency. A person's success was evidence of his virtue, while failure demonstrated inadequacy. This internalization of failure was reinforced by the Protestant emphasis on self-discipline and personal responsibility. In this culture, economic loss was not just financial ruin it led to existential shame.