Working on truly advanced and inclusive typography could not begin until variation technology was implemented five years ago. With the introduction of variable fonts, significant gains were made, from compression and animation to smoother weight, width, and optical size transitions. Many interesting font products have been introduced since the launch of variable fonts, but few applications have emerged that use them, and progress deploying variables as web fonts has been slow. We ask why, and how to move forward.
The group presenting is an experienced bunch of professional type industry enthusiasts representing independent software and font developers. The group is working together with Google and others to explore and implement new ways of designing fonts, making them into products, and using them.
Speaker
Dave Crossland
Lead Program ManagerGoogle
Dave Crossland attended the first Libre Graphics Meeting in 2006, and became fascinated with the potential of libre licensing to improve design. Since then, he has worked to liberate typography, mainly as a program manager for Google Fonts. He also regularly contributes to the Crafting Type, Font Bakery, and Runebender projects.
Speaker
David Berlow
PeopleThe Font Bureau, Inc.
David Berlow entered the type industry in 1978 as a letter designer for the respected Mergenthaler, Linotype, Stempel, and Haas type foundries. He joined the newly formed digital type supplier, Bitstream, Inc., in 1982. After Berlow left Bitstream in 1989, he founded The Font Bureau, Inc., with Roger Black.\n\nFont Bureau has developed more than 300 new and revised type designs for the Chicago Tribune, the Wall Street Journal, Entertainment Weekly, Newsweek, Esquire, Rolling Stone, Hewlett Packard and others, as well as performing OEM work for Apple Computer Inc. and Microsoft Corporation. Font Bureau’s retail library consists mostly of original designs and now includes over 500 typefaces. Berlow is a member of the New York Type Directors Club (TDC) and the Association Typographique International (ATypI) and remains active in typeface design. David Berlow entered the type industry in 1978 as a letter designer for the respected Mergenthaler, Linotype, Stempel, and Haas type foundries. He joined the newly formed digital type supplier, Bitstream, Inc., in 1982. After Berlow left Bitstream in 1989, he founded The Font Bureau, Inc., with Roger Black. Font Bureau has developed more than 300 new and revised type designs for the Chicago Tribune, the Wall Street Journal, Entertainment Weekly, Newsweek, Esquire, Rolling Stone, Hewlett Packard and others, as well as performing OEM work for Apple Computer Inc. and Microsoft Corporation. Font Bureau’s retail library consists mostly of original designs and now includes over 500 typefaces. Berlow is a member of the New York Type Directors Club (TDC) and the Association Typographique International (ATypI) and remains active in typeface design.
Speaker
Lasse Fister
Software Engineergraphicore.de
Lasse Fister studied design and is freelancing as a font engineer and full-stack web developer. He’s into type, tooling, creative thinking, and programming and has a keen interest in using and making free/libre open-source software. Lasse Fister studied design and is freelancing as a font engineer and full-stack web developer. He’s into type, tooling, creative thinking, and programming and has a keen interest in using and making free/libre open-source software.
Speaker
Santiago Orozco
Type DesignerTypemade
Santiago Orozco is a type designer and engineer based in Monterrey, the capital and largest city of the (hot) northeastern state of Nuevo León, México. With a background in Computer Science from his studies at the University of Monterrey (UDEM), Orozco found himself at the intersection of design and technology, attending graphic design classes while doing engineering. In 2009, Orozco founded Typemade Foundry/Studio, and since then, has developed custom type for brands, corporations, and other foundries. He started collaborating with Font Bureau and currently manages, design, and engineer fonts for Font Bureau and its clients. Typemade specializes in type design, font production, and type technology. Orozco is also the founder of the international conference TMX—Type, Tech, and Design, which has been presented annually in México since 2015. Orozco’s vision is to have a place for the ones who keep things moving forward in the fields of type, technology, and design.
Dave Crossland 
David Berlow 
Lasse Fister 
Santiago Orozco