3 ms·

Introducing OpenType Font Variations

42 points by cpeterso 10y ago

mozumder 10y ago
Much needed tech. This will cut down on all the various font files on my site. From the other linked article, this is different from Multiple Master fonts in that Multiple Masters needed multiple sets of glyphs and was an interpolation between them, while this is fully parameterized. https://medium.com/@tiro/https-medium-com-tiro-introducing-opentype-variable-fonts-12ba6cd2369 https://medium.com/@tiro/https-medium-com-tiro-introducing-o... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_master_fonts https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_master_fonts
- mark-r 10y ago
  Thanks for the link, there's a lot more detail there that answers a few of my questions.
amelius 10y ago
Would it be possible to train a neural network to automatically derive (aesthetically pleasing) font variations? Also, given a small set of glyphs, would a NN be able to "design" the remainder of the glyphs? At least there is plenty of training data available :)
- euyyn 10y ago
  > Also, given a small set of glyphs, would a NN be able to "design" the remainder of the glyphs? It should be easy enough to train N neural nets, each of which would output one of the glyphs by inputting the rest of them: So a NN for "a", another for "b", etc. Then a consistent font would be one that outputs itself when fed to the N nets. And a way to create consistent fonts would be to start from anything and iterate until input and outputs converge.
- escap 10y ago
  Not exactly what you want, but "Recurrent Net Dreams Up Fake Chinese Characters in Vector Format with TensorFlow" - http://blog.otoro.net/2015/12/28/recurrent-net-dreams-up-fake-chinese-characters-in-vector-format-with-tensorflow/ http://blog.otoro.net/2015/12/28/recurrent-net-dreams-up-fak... previous discussion - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10801712 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10801712
mark-r 10y ago
Adobe had this years ago with their Multiple Master fonts [1]. Good to see the tech making a comeback, although it's a lot of work to do properly - I don't think we'll see many implementations. I'd like to know how this will make web pages faster, since I don't think it results in less downloaded data in total. Is it just because there are fewer separate font requests? [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_master_fonts https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_master_fonts
- sjwright 10y ago
  Correct, Adobe finished the MM specification in 1991 and released the first fonts in 1992[0]. Apple in 1995 released QuickDraw GX, which included a new font architecture called TrueType GX, a complete reworking of font architecture. As well as including MM-style font variations, it also decoupled glyphs from characters, such that multiple characters could use the same glyph, or multiple glyphs could be available for the same character.[1] While GX was a market failure, many of these technologies resurfaced in OpenType, though variations specifically did not. Microsoft acknowledge that OpenType Font Variations is directly based off Apple's work in QuickDraw GX font variations. [0] http://blog.typekit.com/2014/07/30/the-adobe-originals-silver-anniversary-story-how-the-originals-endured-in-an-ever-changing-industry/ http://blog.typekit.com/2014/07/30/the-adobe-originals-silve... [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QuickDraw_GX#Typography https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QuickDraw_GX#Typography
transfire 10y ago
Yes!!! This idea is way overdue. Lets hope it takes off like a bat out of hell and finds its way into everything.

42 points by cpeterso 10y ago

Much needed tech. This will cut down on all the various font files on my site. From the other linked article, this is different from Multiple Master fonts in that Multiple Masters needed multiple sets of glyphs and was an interpolation between them, while this is fully parameterized. https://medium.com/@tiro/https-medium-com-tiro-introducing-opentype-variable-fonts-12ba6cd2369 https://medium.com/@tiro/https-medium-com-tiro-introducing-o... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_master_fonts https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_master_fonts

mark-r 10y ago
Thanks for the link, there's a lot more detail there that answers a few of my questions.

amelius 10y ago

Would it be possible to train a neural network to automatically derive (aesthetically pleasing) font variations? Also, given a small set of glyphs, would a NN be able to "design" the remainder of the glyphs? At least there is plenty of training data available :)

euyyn 10y ago
> Also, given a small set of glyphs, would a NN be able to "design" the remainder of the glyphs? It should be easy enough to train N neural nets, each of which would output one of the glyphs by inputting the rest of them: So a NN for "a", another for "b", etc. Then a consistent font would be one that outputs itself when fed to the N nets. And a way to create consistent fonts would be to start from anything and iterate until input and outputs converge.
escap 10y ago
Not exactly what you want, but "Recurrent Net Dreams Up Fake Chinese Characters in Vector Format with TensorFlow" - http://blog.otoro.net/2015/12/28/recurrent-net-dreams-up-fake-chinese-characters-in-vector-format-with-tensorflow/ http://blog.otoro.net/2015/12/28/recurrent-net-dreams-up-fak... previous discussion - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10801712 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10801712

mark-r 10y ago

Adobe had this years ago with their Multiple Master fonts [1]. Good to see the tech making a comeback, although it's a lot of work to do properly - I don't think we'll see many implementations. I'd like to know how this will make web pages faster, since I don't think it results in less downloaded data in total. Is it just because there are fewer separate font requests? [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_master_fonts https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_master_fonts

sjwright 10y ago
Correct, Adobe finished the MM specification in 1991 and released the first fonts in 1992[0]. Apple in 1995 released QuickDraw GX, which included a new font architecture called TrueType GX, a complete reworking of font architecture. As well as including MM-style font variations, it also decoupled glyphs from characters, such that multiple characters could use the same glyph, or multiple glyphs could be available for the same character.[1] While GX was a market failure, many of these technologies resurfaced in OpenType, though variations specifically did not. Microsoft acknowledge that OpenType Font Variations is directly based off Apple's work in QuickDraw GX font variations. [0] http://blog.typekit.com/2014/07/30/the-adobe-originals-silver-anniversary-story-how-the-originals-endured-in-an-ever-changing-industry/ http://blog.typekit.com/2014/07/30/the-adobe-originals-silve... [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QuickDraw_GX#Typography https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QuickDraw_GX#Typography

transfire 10y ago

Yes!!! This idea is way overdue. Lets hope it takes off like a bat out of hell and finds its way into everything.