Resource List For “Beyond The Static Letter: Using The Full Capability Of Font Software”
Are you using fonts to their fullest capabilities? Modern fonts can do so much more than display static letters on a page. Type designers have taken the humble font software and pushed it further to make letters fight cyberbullying, enable those with low vision to read easier, and bring awareness to melting ice caps. Fonts are more alive than they have ever been – able to be updated and expanded upon as the design landscape changes around them.
My talk goes into the details about using OpenType Features, Custom Fonts, Color Fonts, and Variable Fonts in creative ways.
Open Type Features
OpenType features are little sections of code that tell the computer when to swap characters in the font. They are usually used for language support, correcting design issues or accessing alternate versions of characters in the font.
The Polite Type: https://www.thepolitetype.com
Custom Fonts
Custom fonts are more than just a pretty face, they can be used to solve specific design problems or deal with licensing issues that the fonts to be shared freely within a community.
Page Two Emoji Font: https://alannamunro.com/custom/custom-emojis-for-page-two/
Atkinson Hyperlegible: https://brailleinstitute.org/freefont
Nisga’a Website: https://discovernisgaa.com
Color Fonts
Color fonts are in a bit of an awkward in-between stage as far as support goes across programs and web browsers but they do bring a lot of colour into the realm of live, editable text, which is particularly beneficial for web-based projects.
Gilbert: https://www.typewithpride.com
Kyoshi: https://alannamunro.com/fonts/kyoshi/
Nabla: https://nabla.typearture.com
Overview on the status of color fonts in 2023: https://type.today/en/journal/colorfonts
Color Font support and info on formats: https://www.colorfonts.wtf
Variable Fonts
Variable fonts are going to be an important part of the future of font formats, especially in web-based projects, they allow you to access multiple styles in one font file and provide opportunities for creative and interesting interactivity.
Unusual Axes: https://v-fonts.com/tags/C5
Font Gauntlet by Dinamo Type Foundry: https://fontgauntlet.com
Tokyo Dome City: https://en.andform.jp/work/tokyo-dome-city
Climate Crisis Font: https://kampanjat.hs.fi/climatefont/index.html
Input Cipher: https://demo.djr.com/input-cipher
Some examples of Interactivity with Variable Fonts: https://24ways.org/2019/interactivity-and-animation-with-variable-fonts/
Digital fonts have come a long way since I was a teenager with a copy of photoshop in 2002 and they are going to continue to grow in their functionality and possibilities. What once started as an efficient way to get words on a page without having to hand write them all out can now change it’s shape and dance around the page, fight cyberbullying, enable those with low vision to read easier, and bring awareness to melting ice caps.
I’m definitely looking forward to seeing where the fonts of the future will take us and I hope you are too. Thank you ♡
