Early bird registration is open now through August 1st. Use code UTW2026Early when registering.
Check back soon for new sessions still being added!
Modern Variable Fonts: Maximum Unicodes, Minimum Font File Sizes
This 180 minute (2 slot) workshop walks participants through how to build a modern variable font, leveraging the latest font format technologies (avar2, variable components) using new web-based font editor software. This follows the innovative pedagogical approach pioneered by the craftingtype.com beginner’s type design workshops project. This connects to both the theme of “Unicode as global public infrastructure” because these new font format technologies are specifically intended to make fonts that support non-Latin writing systems better, and to the theme of “opening doors to new audiences” because the software is libre and cross-platform and therefore accessible to people who are not typical font designers using Apple hardware. This workshop should also resonate more to the “designers, educators, typographers, linguists, digital humanities researchers, and others” that this edition is appealing to. What people will leave with (in addition to some fond memories) are new typography skills, new tools for drawing type, and the first key letters of their own type design.