Variable Fonts for Brands: The Decisions That Matter
Font files that contain a continuous range of styles, such as weights and widths, in a single file.
Priya Raghunathan
Why does it matter?
Variable fonts give brands flexible typography and can reduce web font requests, but licensing and support need checking.
What are the numbers?
- OpenType variable fonts were introduced in OpenType 1.8 in 2016
- Axes fonts can vary along weight, width and other axes
- CSS font-variation-settings and font-weight ranges control styles
- Performance one file can replace several static fonts
What should I do?
- Check license terms for variable fonts
- Define brand weights within the range
- Test rendering across browsers
- Subset fonts for performance
- Provide static fallbacks where needed
What should I avoid?
Avoid:
- Using unlicensed variable versions
- Unlimited weight choices
- Large unsubsetted files
- Ignoring older software
When should I get help?
Short answer Bring in help when modernizing brand typography.
Where this comes from
- MDN Web Docs — Variable fonts guide
- W3C — CSS Fonts Module Level 4
The figures and practices above come from the sources listed.
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