David Jonathan Ross – 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.

Designers /

David Jonathan Ross

Info: djr.com

Variable fonts designed by David Jonathan Ross

27 results

Fern Variable

  • Fern Variable
    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
  • Fern Variable Italic
    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
400 800
8 12

A chunky Venetian-style serif typeface intended for on-screen reading.

Tags: body text, serif, oldstyle, optical sizes, wedge serif
Design:David Jonathan Ross
Publisher:DJR, Font of the Month Club
Characters:Latin, Vietnamese
Released:2021-06-01
Licensing:Trial, Paid/commercial
Info/fonts:djr.com

Extendomatic Variable

  • ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
-20 20
0 1000
200 800

A geometric take on connected monoline script styles as seen on 20th-century cars and appliances, with the ability to stretch inter-letter connections and add snap-on under- and overline extenders.

Tags: decorative/display, sans, script, backslant, connecting, monoline, multiplexed, multiplexed posture, unusual variation, variable posture
Design:David Jonathan Ross
Publisher:DJR, Font of the Month Club
Characters:Latin, Vietnamese
Released:2021-05-01
Licensing:Trial, Paid/commercial
Info/fonts:djr.com

Job Clarendon Variable

  • ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
1 900

An homage to 19th-century slab serifs, drawn by David Jonathan Ross with direction from designer and writer Bethany Heck.

Tags: decorative/display, slab serif, ball terminals, closed in, feature variations, monoline, Victorian, wood type
Design:David Jonathan Ross
Publisher:DJR, Font of the Month Club
Characters:Latin, Vietnamese
Released:2021-03-01
Licensing:Trial, Paid/commercial
Info/fonts:djr.com

Megabase Color Variable & Megabase Stripe Variable

  • Megabase Color Variable
    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
  • Megabase Stripe Variable
    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
-15 15

Experimental adaptations of Megabase Open exploring solutions for layered gradient variable fonts. While true gradients in variable color fonts aren’t technically possible at the moment, the effect is simulated with stripes of color (which can be modified in a custom-made preview tool).

Tags: decorative/display, sans, backslant, color, futuristic/sci-fi, horizontal stress, modular, multiplexed, multiplexed posture, outline, ornamented, phototype, psychedelic, straight-sided, unusual variation, variable posture
Design:David Jonathan Ross
Publisher:DJR, Font of the Month Club
Characters:Latin, Vietnamese
Released:2020-10-01
Licensing:Trial, Paid/commercial
Info/fonts:djr.com

Dattilo DJR Banner Variable

  • ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
200 900

A variable subset of the Banner optical size range from DJR’s Dattilo revival, optimized for large display settings with extra-tight 1970s-style spacing.

Tags: decorative/display, slab serif, feature variations, monoline, phototype
Design:David Jonathan Ross
Publisher:DJR, Font of the Month Club
Characters:Latin, Vietnamese
Released:2020-03-01
Updated:2020-05-01
Licensing:Trial, Paid/commercial
Info/fonts:djr.com

Gimlet Variable

  • ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
8 48
300 900
64 100
0 1

​A distinctive serif typeface inspired by Georg Trump’s Schadow. A beta version of the variable font was quietly included in the Font of the Month Club files for Gimlet X-ray.

Tags: decorative/display, body text, serif, slab serif, feature variations, optical sizes, variable posture
Design:David Jonathan Ross
Publisher:DJR, Font of the Month Club
Characters:Latin
Released:2020-01-01
Licensing:Trial, Paid/commercial
Info/fonts:djr.com

Gimlet X-Ray

  • ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
300 900
64 100
4 36
4 36
2 10
2 10

​An experimental colorized version of Gimlet that exposes what goes on under the hood of a variable font, visualizing control points, bounding boxes, kerning, etc. The design of the underlying typeface and the visualization elements are both adjustable. As with DJR’s other color fonts, the default color palette can be customized with a web-based tool. (If the sample here is black and/or doesn’t change with the sliders, your browser doesn’t fully support variable color fonts yet.)

Tags: decorative/display, serif, slab serif, color, multiplexed, outline, ornamented, unusual variation
Design:David Jonathan Ross
Publisher:DJR, Font of the Month Club
Characters:Latin
Released:2020-01-01
Licensing:Trial, Paid/commercial
Info/fonts:djr.com

Clavichord Variable

  • AaBbCcDdEeFfGgHhIiJjKkLlMmNnOoPpQqRrSsTtUuVvWwXxYyZz 0123456789
76 332

An elaborately curly blackletter with extremely thin hairlines, inspired by a 19th-century typeface called Cuneiform. The optical size axis allows for a consistent hairline thickness of 0.5 point for font sizes from 76 through 332 points.

Tags: decorative/display, serif, script, blackletter, calligraphic, optical sizes, ornamented, sharp, swash, Victorian
Design:David Jonathan Ross
Publisher:DJR, Font of the Month Club
Characters:Latin, Vietnamese
Released:2019-10-01
Licensing:Trial, Paid/commercial
Info/fonts:djr.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

Gimlet Variable Bold Condensed

  • ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
48 144

A variable version of Gimlet covering a range of extra-large optical sizes for the Condensed Bold style, beyond the optical sizes available in the standard retail release.

Tags: decorative/display, serif, optical sizes
Design:David Jonathan Ross
Publisher:DJR, Font of the Month Club
Characters:Latin, Vietnamese
Released:2019-04-01
Licensing:Trial, Paid/commercial
Info/fonts:djr.com

Roslindale Variable Italic

  • ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
0 1
-8 0

​An experiment in italicization, this one-off member of the Roslindale type series can vary its italic forms separately from the angle of slanting. The vast majority of typefaces change italic forms along with slanting, so this may be the first case of both the registered ‘italic’ and ‘slant’ axes being used in the same variable font.

Tags: decorative/display, serif, feature variations, flared/concave, inscriptional, phototype, pinched joints, sharp, unusual variation, upright italic, variable posture, wedge serif
Design:David Jonathan Ross
Publisher:DJR, Font of the Month Club
Characters:Latin, Vietnamese
Released:2019-01-01
Licensing:Trial, Paid/commercial
Info/fonts:djr.com

Trilby Variable

  • Trilby Variable
    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
  • Trilby Variable Italic
    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
400 800

​A variable version of Trilby, DJR’s slab serif with subtle horizontal stress.

Tags: decorative/display, slab serif, feature variations, horizontal stress, wood type
Design:David Jonathan Ross
Publisher:DJR
Characters:Latin
Released:2018-12-06
Licensing:Trial, Paid/commercial
Info/fonts:djr.com

Pappardelle Party

  • ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
0 4

​A horizontal-stress, stencil, variable font that’s unusual because it’s a color font, but also because its variation doesn’t alter the glyph shapes like most variable fonts. Instead, color font technology, variable font technology, and OpenType contextual alternates are combined to cycle through multiple color combos. Users can generate versions with custom color palettes using DJR’s Color Font Customizer. (If the sample here is black and/or doesn’t change with the sliders, your browser doesn’t fully support variable color fonts yet.)

Tags: decorative/display, slab serif, cartoon, color, feature variations, horizontal stress, ornamented, straight-sided, unusual variation, wood type
Design:David Jonathan Ross
Publisher:DJR, Font of the Month Club
Characters:Latin, Vietnamese
Released:2018-11-01
Licensing:Trial, Paid/commercial
Info/fonts:djr.com

Bradley DJR Variable

  • ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
6 60

​A revival of American Type Founders’ 1895 typeface, Bradley. The original, based on lettering by Will H. Bradley, is usually credited to Hermann Ihlenburg. This digital version’s optical size axis covers the full range of original sizes, as far down as 6 points – rare for digital blackletter typefaces – plus a handful of stylistic alternate glyphs.

Tags: decorative/display, blackletter, Arts & Crafts, calligraphic, feature variations, optical sizes, soft corners
Design:David Jonathan Ross
Publisher:DJR, Font of the Month Club
Characters:Latin, Vietnamese
Released:2018-09-01
Licensing:Trial, Paid/commercial
Info/fonts:djr.com

Output Sans Variable

  • Output Sans Variable
    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
  • Output Sans Variable (with OpenType stylistic sets 02, 04, and 07 enabled)
    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
100 900
-8 0

​Output is a companion to the Input font series but focuses less on code / programming and more on versatility, readability, and interaction. Stylistic sets of alternate glyphs allow for several different flavors: humanist, tech-y, or grotesque. It is currently offered in a pre-release beta version. The lightest weights are also available as Output Sans Hairlines Variable with its own unique functionality.

Tags: body text, sans, neo-grotesque, variable posture
Design:David Jonathan Ross
Publisher:DJR
Characters:Latin
Released:2018-08-15
Licensing:Trial, Paid/commercial
Info/fonts:djr.com

Merit Badge

  • ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 0123456789
0 1
200 500

The world’s second variable color font release, and the first to support a standard alphanumeric character set, based on lettering from a 1940s Boy Scouts guide. The promo page includes a tool built by Chris Lewis for generating versions with customized color palettes. (If the sample is black and/or doesn’t change with the sliders, your browser doesn’t fully support variable color fonts yet.)

Tags: decorative/display, slab serif, sans, all caps, Art Deco, color, gaspipe, gothic, inline, modular, ornamented, rectangular, retractable serifs, spurless, straight-sided, unicase, unusual variation
Design:David Jonathan Ross
Publisher:DJR, Font of the Month Club
Characters:Latin, Vietnamese
Released:2018-06-01
Licensing:Trial, Paid/commercial
Info/fonts:djr.com

Roslindale Variable Display

  • ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
200 900
75 100

​A variable version of Roslindale’s Display styles, free for anyone who has licensed the Light and Bold weights via DJR’s Font of the Month Club.

Tags: decorative/display, serif, flared/concave, inscriptional, phototype, pinched joints, sharp, wedge serif
Design:David Jonathan Ross
Publisher:DJR, Font of the Month Club
Characters:Latin, Vietnamese
Released:2018-05-31
Updated:2020-09-01
Licensing:Trial, Paid/commercial
Info/fonts:djr.com

Output Sans Hairlines Variable

  • Output Sans Hairlines Variable
    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
  • Output Sans Hairlines Variable (with OpenType stylistic sets 02, 04, and 07 enabled)
    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
34 166

​A variable font for the thinnest weights of DJR’s Output type family, made available to members of the Font of the Month Club. With the optical size axis, it’s possible to maintain a consistent stroke weight across multiple sizes.

Tags: decorative/display, sans, monoline, neo-grotesque, optical sizes, unusual variation
Design:David Jonathan Ross
Publisher:DJR, Font of the Month Club
Characters:Latin, Vietnamese
Released:2018-03-01
Licensing:Trial, Paid/commercial
Info/fonts:djr.com

Rhody Variable

  • ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
0 300
0 300
300 800

A variable font distributed with DJR’s Rhody type family for members of the Font of the Month Club. Originally released as 2 separate variable font counterparts to the 2 first weights in February, 2018, it was updated in July, 2018, combining the weights into a single font with a weight axis.

Tags: decorative/display, slab serif, bent strokes, consistent counters, inserat, pinched joints, retractable extenders, straight-sided, unusual variation, vertex spread, wood type
Design:David Jonathan Ross
Publisher:DJR, Font of the Month Club
Characters:Latin, Vietnamese
Released:2018-02-01
Updated:2018-07-01
Licensing:Trial, Paid/commercial
Info/fonts:djr.com

Extraordinaire

  • Extraordinaire Variable
    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
  • Extraordinaire Variable Shade
    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
100 700
30 60

Multiple fonts intended to be layered for special shade effects.

Tags: decorative/display, sans, geometric, all caps, Art Deco, chromatic, monoline, rounded, shade, unusual variation
Design:David Jonathan Ross
Publisher:DJR, Font of the Month Club
Characters:Latin, Vietnamese
Released:2018-01-01
Licensing:Trial, Paid/commercial
Info/fonts:djr.com

Variable Poo Demo

  • 💩
100 900

The world’s first variable color font release, containing only one character: the pile of poo emoji ?. (If the poo appears all black and/or doesn’t move with the slider, your browser doesn’t fully support variable color fonts yet.)

Tags: decorative/display, animation, cartoon, color, dingbats, proof of concept, unusual variation
Design:Roel Nieskens, David Jonathan Ross
Publisher:PixelAmbacht
Characters:dingbats/emoji
Released:2017-01-24
Licensing:Open source
Info/fonts:github.com

Fit Variable

  • ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 0123456789
    АБВГДЕЖЗИЙКЛМНОПРСТУФХЦЧШЩЪЫЬЭЮЯ
    ΑΒΓΔΕΖΗΘΙΚΛΜΝΞΟΠΡΣΤΥΦΧΨΩ
    אבגדהוזחטיכלמנסעפצקרשת ԱԲԳԴԵԶԷԸԹԺԻԼԽԾԿՀՁՂՃՄՅՆՇՈՉՊՋՌՍՎՏՐՑՒՓՔՕՖ
1 1000

​Fit was designed across a large range of widths to fill up any space it occupies while maintaining a constant amount of space within and between letters. The Hebrew extension was drawn by Oded Ezer and the Armenian extension by Gor Jihanian.

Tags: decorative/display, sans, all caps, consistent counters, futuristic/sci-fi, inserat, modular, rectangular, spurless, straight-sided
Design:David Jonathan Ross, Oded Ezer, Gor Jihanian
Publisher:DJR
Characters:Latin, Cyrillic, Greek, Hebrew, Armenian, Vietnamese
Released:2017-01-11
Updated:2019-01-22
Licensing:Trial, Paid/commercial
Info/fonts:djr.com