Embrace Efficiency with Variable Fonts

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Variable fonts contain extensive information that allows for not only flexible weight and style variations but also data compression. By packing shape information and interpolation ranges into a single font file, they can significantly reduce file sizes. This becomes particularly beneficial when a website uses multiple styles, as variable fonts can save kilobytes of data, ultimately impacting page load times positively. Websites utilizing 15 or more styles can experience substantial data savings and improved performance by switching to variable fonts.

Scott and CJ are joined by Stephen Nixon of ArrowType to delve into the world of fonts and type for developers. They explore the intricacies of font creation, the utility of variable fonts, and offer tips for making visually appealing typography on the web.

Show Notes

00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
00:57 Who is Stephen Nixon?
- Process Type Foundry.
- Mark Simonson Proxima Nova.
05:42 What is a type foundry exactly?
- ArrowType.
09:09 Font / type making.
- 09:15 How do you make a font?
  - RoboFont.
  - Glyphs.
- 11:58 Fonts vs typefaces.
- 13:02 How many fonts have you made?
- 14:17 What are variable fonts and how can web developers utilize them?
- 19:22 Animating fonts.
  - Variable Fonts.
  - Recursive.
- 20:28 Do you code your demo sites yourself?
- 21:50 Are variable fonts more complex to design (and develop).
- 27:03 Hand painted fonts.
- 29:39 Creating a monospace font.
- 32:19 Creating fonts with dyslexia accessibility in mind.
37:58 Typography for the web.
- 38:29 What are some 80/20 rules developers can employ to make more visually appealing typography?
- 40:58 Type scale calculations.
  - Scott’s Fluid Type Calculator.
- 45:42 What are your biggest web type pet peeves.
- 48:46 Do you have any favorite type tools?
  - Wakamifondue.
  - Fixing Variable Font Inheritance.
50:34 Supper Club Questions.
- 50:44 How do you feel about ligatures in coding fonts?
  - Ligatures In Programming Fonts Hell No.
- 55:11 What font do you use?
  - Name Sans v05.
  - Name-Mono.
- 56:43 What is your favorite font of all time?
  - Typotheque.
  - Soehne.
  - Grillitype Typefaces.
  - Phnotype.
58:49 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs.