Audience

This tutorial is intended for anyone involved in the specification, production or implementation of fonts or products which support two or more script systems. Attendees should have a knowledge of their proposed project in terms of desired language or character set coverage as well as technical constraints such as data size, hardware and software support.

Summary

This tutorial will present various technical and design issues to consider when planning for the support of multiple scripts within a single font file. Whether attendees require a simple 'fall-back' font which enables any Unicode text to be displayed, or whether they wish to provide high quality typographic support for a limited number of scripts, this tutorial will equip the attendee with an overview of the concerns which will impact both the functionality and the perceived aesthetic quality of the final font product.

Script systems differ from one another in terms of their visual characteristics, cultural heritage, and the meaning associated with stylistic variations. However there is an inherent desire to have different scripts within a single font relate visually to one another. Western or Latin centric attitudes often result in customers requesting Latin typographic characteristics applied to non-Latin scripts. These desires can result in typographically naïve or even culturally unpalatable typefaces.

A systematic approach will be presented for determining likely pitfalls, and practical solutions will be presented for specific scenarios. Examples of well known multi-script fonts will be analyzed in terms of design and technical issues as well as implementation considerations. Attendees should leave feeling prepared to analyze their product needs and establish clear priorities which will guide the font development process towards a successful product.