The question of what is a variable font is still a topic of conversation for some people, especially those who are still unfamiliar with using fonts on a device.
Variable font technology was officially introduced in 2016. The presence of variable fonts is a collaboration between Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Adobe in the OpenType 1.8 format. Check out the review below regarding the question ‘what is a variable font family’.
Let’s answer the most basic question: what is a variable font?
A variable font is a digital typeface that allows a wide variety of font styles to be stored in a single font file. The variations available include differences in width, thickness, and slant.
Unlike traditional fonts, which require separate files for each style, one variable font can contain various font variations with regular, bold, or italic styles.
In variable fonts, users can freely choose a thickness value. For example, a thickness of 100 to 900 can easily be selected. This setting certainly benefits users who want to adjust the font style to the aesthetics of their project.
That’s a brief understanding of what a variable font is. Now, let’s discuss how it differs from regular fonts.
What is a variable font? How do they differ from regular fonts? Regular and variable fonts differ in structure, flexibility, and efficiency. Regular fonts, which have been used for a long time, store each font style in a separate file.
Users must load four separate files to use multiple styles of one typeface. This is certainly different if users utilise variable fonts requiring only one file.
In the world of typography, variable fonts greatly advance by bringing together aesthetic freedom and technical efficiency. It can fulfil the needs of various UI/UX users. So, it’s natural that UI/UX designers know the answer to the question ‘What is a variable font’.
Some examples of variable fonts include Roboto Flex, IBM Plex Variable, Inter, Recursive, and Source Sans Variable. These font examples can be downloaded for free and easily through the internet.
Variable fonts offer several advantages over regular fonts. They have made digital typography easier and are increasingly popular today.
Variable fonts offer more efficient storage space in the context of design files and website performance. Users only need one font file to use multiple font styles.
File size has a big impact on page load speed. When a website uses regular fonts, the browser needs to download multiple files, which slows down the loading process.
Using variable fonts is relatively easy; users only need to download them. Variable fonts allow users to set letter styles with more precision and freedom.
Users only need to adjust the value range to set the thickness, slope, and width. This allows for a more precise selection of font styles and does not limit users to fixed choices.
Variable fonts are suitable for cross-device display. For example, fonts can be thicker on small screens to increase their readability or slimmer for large screens.
This can be done more easily, improving the font’s appearance. Users can easily adjust the font style without changing fonts according to their needs.
What is a variable font? What are other advantages? Nowadays, there are many variable font tutorial videos for different types of devices. These fonts can improve visual comfort and user accessibility using finer typographic controls. The appearance is also consistent for different screen sizes.
That way, users can use the fonts more comfortably. Font style settings can be done continuously. This ability is certainly not owned by ordinary fonts with limited styles.
That answers the question, ‘What is a variable font?’. Users can enjoy various available styles by using a single variable font file. The appearance of the letters is more uniform, minimising the loss of font styles for certain devices.
Twinletter provides a wide selection of premium fonts in various styles suitable for design needs. The fonts are also affordable. Users can use one font file for several designs just by purchasing it.
