Variable Fonts

Variable Fonts v0.2

A simple resource for finding and trying variable fonts

⚠️ Notice: As a showcase of variable fonts, this site requires a web browser that supports OpenType font variation technology. It looks like your browser doesn’t, so please consider upgrading to one that does (the latest versions of Chrome work well, even on older operating systems). Otherwise, the font samples below will only appear as static fonts.

Welcome to the new version 0.2 of this website. If you missed the presentation about the new features in the Typographics TypeLab, there's a very brief summary in the changelog.

377 entries

Halvar Flex

  • Halvar Flex
    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
    АБВГДЕЖЗИЙКЛМНОПРСТУФХЦЧШЩЪЫЬЭЮЯ
    абвгдежзийклмнопрстуфхцчшщъыьэюя
    ΑΒΓΔΕΖΗΘΙΚΛΜΝΞΟΠΡΣΤΥΦΧΨΩ
    αβγδεζηθικλμνξοπρσςτυφχψω
  • Halvar Stencil Flex
    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
    АБВГДЕЖЗИЙКЛМНОПРСТУФХЦЧШЩЪЫЬЭЮЯ
    абвгдежзийклмнопрстуфхцчшщъыьэюя
    ΑΒΓΔΕΖΗΘΙΚΛΜΝΞΟΠΡΣΤΥΦΧΨΩ
    αβγδεζηθικλμνξοπρσςτυφχψω
10 160
50 150
0 24
10 50

An industrial sans with nods to typefaces based on blunt geometry like DIN 1451. Ilya Ruderman, Yury Ostromentsky, and Maria Doreuli consulted on the Cyrillic. Kostas Bartsokas consulted on the Greek. Alphabet Type assisted with post-production.

The variable versions of Halvar are currently in beta stage and available by request.

Tags: sans, geometric, dingbats, gaspipe, gothic, monoline, multiplexed, multiplexed posture, multiplexed weight, straight-sided, variable posture
Design:Lisa Fischbach, Jakob Runge, Nils Thomsen, Paul Eslage
Publisher:TypeMates
Characters:Latin, Cyrillic, Greek
Released:2019-06-25
Licensing:By request
Info/fonts:typemates.com

Recursive

  • ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
0 1
0 1
300 1000
-15 0
0 1

A variable type system for code and user interface design, with the option to vary between monospaced and proportional glyph widths, as well as standard tech-y forms and expressive brush-like forms.

Tags: decorative/display, body text, sans, script, brush, code, feature variations, monospaced, multiplexed, multiplexed posture, multiplexed weight, plump/convex, quantized, straight-sided, unusual variation, upright italic, upright script, variable posture
Design:Stephen Nixon
Publisher:Arrow Type
Characters:Latin, Vietnamese
Released:2019-06-19
Updated:2021-04-01
Licensing:Open source
Info/fonts:recursive.design

Width & Vertical Width VF

  • かなABC漢字
    あAB漢字12国
1 1000
1 1000

A special-purpose font that demonstrates the relationships between variable “width” axes for use with different writing directions. For example, horizontal layout is typical with Western characters (represented as hollow rectangles in this font), but vertical layout is often used with some Asian characters (represented as solid rectangles), and it’s possible to combine aspects of both in different ways. This can make the relationship between different glyphs’ width, height, and rotation complicated. Ken Lunde explains more in the article introducing the font.

Tags: CFF, dingbats, proof of concept, monospaced, polygonal, rectangular, straight-sided, unusual variation
Design:Ken Lunde
Publisher:Adobe
Characters:dingbats/emoji, Pan-Unicode
Released:2019-06-19
Licensing:Open source
Info/fonts:github.com

Radial & Linear Sans

  • Radial
    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
    ΑΒΓΔΕΖΗΘΙΚΛΜΝΞΟΠΡΣΤΥΦΧΨΩ
    αβγδεζηθικλμνξοπρσςτυφχψω
    АБВГДЕЖЗИЙКЛМНОПРСТУФХЦЧШЩЪЫЬЭЮЯ
    абвгдежзийклмнопрстуфхцчшщъыьэюя
  • Linear Sans
    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
    ΑΒΓΔΕΖΗΘΙΚΛΜΝΞΟΠΡΣΤΥΦΧΨΩ
    αβγδεζηθικλμνξοπρσςτυφχψω
    АБВГДЕЖЗИЙКЛМНОПРСТУФХЦЧШЩЪЫЬЭЮЯ
    абвгдежзийклмнопрстуфхцчшщъыьэюя
100 300
100 300

A pair of related sans typefaces, offering similar functionality but with different details.

Tags: sans, geometric, neo-grotesque, variable posture
Design:Milos Mitrovic
Publisher:Gradient
Characters:Latin, Greek, Cyrillic
Released:2019-06-12
Licensing:Paid/commercial
Info/fonts:vllg.com

Bruphy

  • ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
100 700
100 200

A script-y typeface modeled after hand-painted brush lettering. Offered with discounted pricing while it’s still a work in progress.

Tags: decorative/display, sans, script, brush, calligraphic, cartoon, pinched joints, sharp, swash, upright script
Design:Kyle Wayne Benson
Publisher:Very Cool Studio
Characters:Latin (limited)
Released:2019-06-11
Updated:2019-08-01
Licensing:Paid/commercial
Info/fonts:futurefonts.xyz

BC Minim Variable

  • BC Minim Variable
    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
  • BC Minim Variable Italic
    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
100 200
1 100

A typeface designed “for typesetting at miniature type sizes”. Its underlying structure is based on a course pixel grid, and the variable ink trap notches can be used to counteract the effects of printing or rendering at small sizes, or for stylistic effects at larger sizes.

Tags: decorative/display, body text, sans, geometric, bent strokes, gothic, ink traps, multiplexed, rectangular, unusual variation, vertex spread
Design:Matyáš Bartoň
Publisher:Briefcase Type Foundry
Characters:Latin
Released:2019-06-11
Licensing:Paid/commercial
Info/fonts:briefcasetype.com

Bandeins Sans & Strange Variable

  • Bandeins Sans Variable
    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
  • Bandeins Strange Variable
    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
200 800
100 800

A geometric sans and a “Strange” counterpart, with the ability to extend some glyphs to exaggerated widths. Its free license is targeted at non-commercial student work.

Tags: decorative/display, body text, sans, geometric, irregular widths, neo-grotesque, unusual variation
Design:Maximilian Müsgens
Publisher:Typeeins
Characters:Latin
Released:2019-05-29
Licensing:Free for non-commercial use
Info/fonts:type.bandeins.de

White On Black VF

  • White On Black VF
    ㊎
  • Black On White VF
    ㊎
1 1000

White On Black VF is a special-purpose variable font with just one glyph (㊎) demonstrating an issue related to the non-zero winding rule used for rendering fonts. The issue is especially problematic when negative glyphs are reversed out of a positive background shape. The weight axis also shows how the technique for avoiding the problem with static fonts – removing overlaps – isn’t a viable solution for variable fonts because the topology of overlapping shapes may change across variations. The counterpart font, Black On White VF, is made with the same shapes but with an additional circular path, showing how the issue is not present with more typical positive-on-negative glyphs. The fonts were produced by Ken Lunde using a glyph designed by Ryoko Nishizuka.

Tags: sans, CFF, dingbats, proof of concept, multiplexed, woman-designed
Design:Ryoko Nishizuka
Publisher:Adobe
Characters:East Asian / CJK
Released:2019-05-28
Licensing:Open source
Info/fonts:github.com

Jheronimus Variable

  • ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
    АБВГДЕЖЗИЙКЛМНОПРСТУФХЦЧШЩЪЫЬЭЮЯ
    абвгдежзийклмнопрстуфхцчшщъыьэюя
32 160
10 100

A boxy humanist sans with ink traps and other sharp details.

Tags: decorative/display, body text, sans, ink traps, inscriptional, sharp, superellipse
Design:Aleksey Popovtsev
Publisher:Aronetiv
Characters:Latin, Cyrillic
Released:2019-05-25
Licensing:Paid/commercial
Info/fonts:myfonts.com

Margem Variable

  • Margem Variable
    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
  • Margem Variable Italic
    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
  • Margem Rounded Variable
    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
  • Margem Rounded Variable Italic
    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
100 1000

A friendly sans.

Tags: body text, sans, cartoon, rounded, soft corners
Design:Fabio Haag
Publisher:Fabio Haag Type
Characters:Latin
Released:2019-05-23
Licensing:Paid/commercial
Info/fonts:fabiohaagtype.com

Adapter

  • Adapter PE
    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
    ΑΒΓΔΕΖΗΘΙΚΛΜΝΞΟΠΡΣΤΥΦΧΨΩ
    αβγδεζηθικλμνξοπρσςτυφχψω
    АБВГДЕЖЗИЙКЛМНОПРСТУФХЦЧШЩЪЫЬЭЮЯ
    абвгдежзийклмнопрстуфхцчшщъыьэюя
  • Adapter Hebrew
    אבגדהוזחטיכלמנסעפצקרשת
  • Adapter Arabic
    أبجد هوز حطي كلمن سعفص قرشت ثخذ ضظغ
4 18
100 900
-10 0

A simple sans with Pan-European character support. Expansions were released for Hebrew on November 26, 2019, and Arabic on March 11, 2020.

Tags: body text, sans, feature variations, multiplexed, multiplexed posture, neo-grotesque, optical sizes, variable posture, woman-designed
Design:William Montrose, Sláva Jevčinová, David Březina
Publisher:Rosetta Type Foundry
Characters:Latin, Greek, Cyrillic, Vietnamese, Hebrew, Arabic
Released:2019-05-21
Updated:2020-03-10
Licensing:Trial, Paid/commercial
Info/fonts:rosettatype.com

NewsSans Variable

  • NewsSans Variable
    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
  • NewsSans Variable Italic
    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
100 900
100 900

A multi-purpose sans covering a broad range of weights and widths. Its serif counterpart is NewsSerif Variable.

Tags: body text, sans, gothic, monoline
Design:Henning Skibbe
Publisher:Character Type
Characters:Latin
Released:2019-05-17
Licensing:Paid/commercial
Info/fonts:charactertype.com

Antonia Variable

  • Antonia Variable
    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
  • Antonia Variable Italic
    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
300 900
8 48

A serif typeface with a large range of optical size variation, for everything from small body text to extra-large headlines. It’s the first variable font release from Typejockeys.

Tags: decorative/display, body text, serif, optical sizes, phototype, woman-designed
Design:Franziska Weitgruber, Michael Hochleitner
Publisher:Typejockeys
Characters:Latin
Released:2019-05-15
Licensing:Paid/commercial
Info/fonts:typejockeys.com

Seraphs

  • ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
100 200
0 6

An unusual type system that can morph between six different serif styles, including sans-serif. See the demo page for more samples. Offered with discounted pricing while it’s still a work in progress.

Tags: decorative/display, body text, serif, slab serif, sans, calligraphic, directional serifs, flared/concave, inscriptional, ornamented, retractable serifs, sharp, split terminals, unusual variation, wedge serif
Design:Bernd Volmer
Publisher:Bernd Volmer
Characters:Latin (limited)
Released:2019-05-15
Licensing:Paid/commercial
Info/fonts:futurefonts.xyz

Adobe Blank VF & Friends

  • Adobe Blank VF
    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
  • Adobe Black VF
    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
0 1000
0 1000

A set of special-purpose variable fonts based on Adobe Blank and Adobe Blank 2, intended to render all Unicode characters / code points using variable glyphs. Adobe Blank VF renders all code points with empty space, and Adobe Black VF renders them with a variable rectangle. The “2” versions of the fonts are produced in a way that is more data-efficient, but may not be supported in all environments. In those cases, the plain Adobe Blank VF and Adobe Black VF fonts can be used. Ken Lunde explains more in the article about the fonts.

Tags: CFF, dingbats, monospaced, polygonal, rectangular, straight-sided, unusual variation
Design:Ken Lunde
Publisher:Adobe
Characters:dingbats/emoji, Pan-Unicode
Released:2019-05-06
Updated:2019-06-19
Licensing:Open source
Info/fonts:github.com

Bild Variable

  • ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
60 100

The first variable incarnation of Bild, DJR’s homage to some of the more dense American gothic type styles from the 20th century. The font includes some subtle feature variations that are triggered at certain widths to improve spacing and alignment – for example, the kerning between ‘T’ and ‘y’, and the alignment between ‘i’ and ‘l’.

Tags: decorative/display, sans, feature variations, gothic, inserat, straight-sided
Design:David Jonathan Ross
Publisher:DJR, Font of the Month Club
Characters:Latin, Vietnamese
Released:2019-05-01
Licensing:Trial, Paid/commercial
Info/fonts:djr.com

Skiff Variable

  • ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
    АБВГДЕЖЗИЙКЛМНОПРСТУФХЦЧШЩЪЫЬЭЮЯ
    абвгдежзийклмнопрстуфхцчшщъыьэюя
100 900

​A thick-and-thin-ish typeface straddling the line between serif and sans.

Tags: decorative/display, serif, sans, calligraphic, flared/concave, inscriptional, sharp, thick-and-thin
Design:Andriy Dykun
Publisher:NREY
Characters:Latin, Cyrillic
Released:2019-04-16
Licensing:Paid/commercial
Info/fonts:myfonts.com

Public Sans VF

  • Public Sans VF
    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
  • Public Sans VF Italic
    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
100 900

An adaptation of Libre Franklin, produced as part of the US Web Design System to function as a “neutral typeface for interfaces, text, and headings”.

Tags: body text, sans, gothic
Design:Dan O. Williams, US Web Design System, Rodrigo Fuenzalida, Pablo Impallari
Publisher:US Web Design System
Characters:Latin, Vietnamese
Released:2019-04-15
Licensing:Open source
Info/fonts:github.com

Lexend

  • ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
0 100

A geometric sans, derived from Andrew Paglinawan’s Quicksand type family, that claims to “significantly improve reading-proficiency” (though the research behind such claims is questionable and/or misleading).

Tags: body text, sans, geometric, woman-designed
Design:Bonnie Shaver-Troup, Thomas Jockin
Publisher:Thomas Jockin
Characters:Latin, Vietnamese
Released:2019-04-09
Licensing:Open source
Info/fonts:github.com

IBM Plex Sans Variable

  • IBM Plex Sans Variable
    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
  • IBM Plex Sans Variable Italic
    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
100 700
85 100

A variable incarnation of the sans-serif styles from IBM’s Plex type series.

Tags: body text, sans, feature variations, neo-grotesque, pinched joints
Design:Mike Abbink, Bold Monday, Paul van der Laan, Pieter van Rosmalen
Publisher:IBM
Characters:Latin, Vietnamese
Released:2019-04-08
Licensing:Open source
Info/fonts:github.com

TINY

  • ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
0 300

A mostly-monospaced dot-matrix typeface based on the smallest type size of 5 dots on the HandJet EBS-250 hand-held printer. Includes several sets of stylistic alternate glyphs, with different dot configurations and widths.

Tags: decorative/display, sans, modular, monospaced, multiplexed, multiplexed weight, pixel, quantized, spurless, straight-sided
Design:Jack Halten Fahnestock
Publisher:Velvetyne Type Foundry
Characters:Latin, dingbats/emoji
Released:2019-04-04
Licensing:Open source
Info/fonts:velvetyne.fr