To navigate the complexities of responsive design and diverse visual requirements, Variable Fonts and OpenType Features offer an elegant and efficient solution. Variable font is a singular font file that contains all variations of width, weight, slant, and several design attributes as an efficient and compressed format.
OpenType is a font technology and file format by Microsoft and Adobe. OpenType significantly enhanced earlier than Variable Fonts, a more recent innovation—offering revolutionary flexibility and control over typographic expression.
OpenType Features – What They Are & Why They Matter
OpenType is more than a letterforms container, they enhance intelligent features to reinforce finer control over rendering the text. These features can include:
- Ligatures: Combine the letter pairs like “fi” and “fl” into a single glyph.
- Small Capitals: Convert lowercase glyph into small capital, commonly used for title and headline.
- Old-Style Figures: Harmoniously blend the numerals with lowercase letters in running text, offering a more balanced appearance when paired with the small caps than lining figures.
- Tabular Figures: Consistent width across all weights, ensuring vertically perfect alignment in tables, pricelist, etc.
- Case-Sensitive Forms: Provides the alternative glyphs to improve text layout and maintain typographic harmony in mixed-case text.
These features matter because their existence allows users to create more expressive and improve readable typography experience with unique personality—all within a single font file.
Real-World Use Cases with Tokotype Fonts
Following OpenType features explanation, let’s take a look at how they are actually used in our fonts. This is an example of switching the Tabular Figures in Fonetika, where the numbers turns into same width.
How to Access OpenType Features
OpenType features usually require using the software that supports them. Here’s the overview how to find it in several application:
- Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign): Find the "OpenType" within the "Character" panel. You will see the list of available features to switch on.
- Microsoft (Word, Excel, Powerpoint): To access OpenType features, you'll navigate to the "Font" dialog box and access the "Advanced" tab.
- Procreate: In Procreate, you can try selecting the font in the text style panel and then tapping on the desired glyph within the character map.
- Affinity (Designer & Publisher): You can navigate to Text > Show Typography or Format, and then Show Typography. However, these steps depend on the version.
Please note that not all OpenType have the same features. Specific ligatures, alternates, and other options might differ, depending on the font you choose.
Variable Fonts – The Future of Flexibility
Variable fonts represent a major preference in font technology. Instead of requiring separate files for weights and styles (like Regular, Bold, Italic), a single Variable Font file offers a range of axes options. The common axes include:
- Weight: Offers range from thin to black.
- Width: Varies from condensed to expanded.
- Italic: Smoothly transition from upright to italic.
- Optical Size: Adjust the font's appearance for different text sizes.
The innovation of Variable Font eliminates the need of over-placing multiple font files. With smaller file sizing, it has more flexibility. Variable Font can precisely adjust the desired weight, width, or other stylistic characteristics, unlocking a new realm of typographic subtlety and adaptability.
Using Variable Fonts in Practice
Variable Fonts offer several advantages in practical usage, besides enhancing the typography more visually pleasing.
- Unified yet Versatile: Ensure the consistency across various platforms, whether a website, social media, or many else.
- Space Saving: Variable Fonts store everything in a single file, which potentially improves website’s loading speed.
- Appealing Visual Identity: Variable fonts can elevate a brand's visual identity and offer the flexibility to adapt as your brand grows.
Best Practices & Pro Tips
For the optimal use of OpenType Features, we suggest you to following these practice:
- First, spend your time examining which OpenType features are included in. Font specimen sheets or the software's OpenType panel can help you provide this information.
- We suggest you use it wisely. Overuse of decorative features can distract your readability.
- Tests across platforms can help your work. If you're using Variable Fonts for websites or apps, make sure to test how they properly render and perform.
- Be sure to understand the Variable Axes. Get to know the available axes and how they change the font's appearance.
Lastly, don't forget to begin by exploring Variable Font and OpenType Features.
We hope this page can clarify Variable Font and OpenType features for you.
Feel free to reach us at [email protected] if there are several questions or help in the usage.
