Designer vs Developer #13: Variable fonts and the digital revolution

Google’s Designer vs Developer aims at improving understanding between designers and developers. In this video and essay Design Advocate Mustafa Kurtuldu discusses how digital tools have changed type design

Optical sizes in Garamond. Left: The correct use of optical sizes, “Green” set in a slimmer style for text printed large, “authority” in a thicker style for text printed small. Right: The wrong way round, “Green” appears too strong and “authority” too fine. Image: CC

You can learn more about UX design at Web FundamentalsYou can also listen to a longer version of the conversation in the video by downloading or subscribing to our podcast on iTunes or Google Play Music

The tools we use sometimes inspire the things we make. Their inherent limitations become the epitome of a style that later generations look back on in awe. For example, Andy Warhol’s use of silkscreen printing defined the pop art style of the 1950’s and 1960’s. The silkscreen’s; ability to reproduce the same images precisely at a high quality allowed Warhol to create works that were almost impossible. He chastised for the use of repetition by traditional artists who shrieked at the perceived laziness of it all.