Announced in 2016 and supported by Adobe, Apple, Google, and Microsoft, the new variable font format has revolutionized typography. The new format offers an array of benefits over static fonts and brings previously unheard of capabilities to digital fonts, changing the way we think about them and use them.

Traditionally, typefaces come in fixed, static styles. They can have distinct weights, from lighter to bolder or distinct widths, from narrower to wider. But what if your design calls for a Bold that’s a touch lighter? The variable font format is the answer.

Compared to the static fonts, variable fonts are dynamic and flexible. Instead of distinct fonts for the different styles that make up a typeface’s family, the entire design space is encompassed in a single file. Any variation within that range can be accessed so you’re not limited to predefined styles.

On the web, they can respond and adapt to factors like screen size, resolution, or even ambient light, automatically changing weight and width, ascender height, or descender length to optimize design fidelity, readability, and legibility, all with just a few lines of CSS. Only one file needs to be served to access all of the variations your design might call for, so bandwidth use and download time can be improved dramatically over static fonts. No need to compromise between design and page performance: the font instances are generated by CSS.

Having your custom typeface developed as a variable font brings all of these endless possibilities to your fingertips and ensures your brand is ready for the future of typography and design now. Type Network and our foundry partners have been on the forefront of the variable font format development since day one, constantly helping to push the technology to new heights.

Custom type comes in many forms and can be built to any budget. Commissioning an original typeface enables you to create a truly unique identity tailored completely to your brand. You have control over every aspect of the design, such as the range of weights, widths, languages, and optical sizes. Whether the starting point is a blank slate, a logo, a sketch of a few letters, or an existing font, our skilled type designers and technicians can build in any requirement to develop a flexible, high-performance, future-proof typeface that carries your typographic identity across all potential platforms.

The shape and tone of the characters are just the beginning. After the initial design phase, spacing and kerning are finalized and rich OpenType features built to create a fully-functioning, flexible family of fonts. A custom typeface will prove to be an invaluable asset to your brand, becoming a typographic representation of its identity.  The diversity and versatility of Type Network’s foundry partners guarantees that we have the right team to develop your custom typeface.

When you’ve found the perfect typeface for your brand but it’s missing something, there’s no need to feel limited by the family’s range. In this situation, a typeface customization or family expansion may be in order. Type Network and our foundry partners can tailor your chosen typeface to your brand’s precise specifications, including modifying letterforms or adding a new weight.

The customization can be as simple as the addition of one or more special characters. Your logo or signature can also be added, making it available with a simple keystroke. Characters of your choice can have their forms altered, be it for aesthetic, linguistic, or cultural preferences.

If the typeface’s range is insufficient, the family can be expanded with additional styles. Extra weights allow you to fine-tune the gray value of the typeface on the page or screen, or to go beyond the lightest or darkest weights. You can have narrower widths drawn for space efficiency, or wider variants for extra impact. Adding optical sizes guarantees optimal legibility, from banners and billboards down to text and app menus.

In today’s increasingly globalized world, your brand’s typeface must support dozens of languages to reach your customers. Type Network and the international reach of our foundry partners can help expand a typeface’s character set to speak virtually any language.

Our attention to all the small details guarantees the additional characters integrate seamlessly with the existing ones so they are all part of a unified design. Depending on which alphabets or scripts need to be added, native speakers are contracted as consultants to ensure that the extensions conform to the conventions of the languages they support and to the expectations and cultural sensibilities of native readers.

Thanks to the global diversity of Type Network’s foundry partners and our many connections in the type world, we can handle any language extension.

Not all letters come from typefaces. Sometimes they are made to measure or drawn by hand to create the perfect logo, word, title, headline, or sentence. The shapes of letters influence how we perceive the words they spell out, and you want your logo to accurately represent your brand.

There is a fundamental difference between a typeface and a hand-lettered piece. The characters in a typeface need to work in any possible combination. The characters in a hand-lettered piece, however, need to look their best in the context of this one instance, allowing for more creative freedom.

Lettering gives ultimate control over the appearance of your logo or message. The characters are drawn and spaced to create the perfect word shapes, with optimized transitions from each letter to the next one. In calligraphic lettering pieces, the designer can make the ideal connections between letters and there are no restrictions to the shape and intricacy of capitals, ascenders and descenders, swashes and flourishes.

Type Network’s foundry partners can faithfully translate your brand’s identity and core values into professional letterforms, no matter the context or application.

If you don’t know where to start, we’re here to help. Type Network employs and collaborates with experts in the field of typography, whose specialities cover it all—from traditional media to cutting-edge technologies. We can assist you in defining your requirements and figuring out what exactly your brand and visual identity need. This can range from finding the perfect type for your brand to shaping and refining its identity across all media and communication channels. Get in touch and we’ll guide you through the entire process until your typographic voice faithfully and accurately represents your brand.

Whether you license an existing typeface, have a design customized for you, or commission an original custom typeface, there are many different licensing options. Which one you choose depends on your budget and needs. A full buy-out guarantees you complete and unlimited ownership of your corporate typeface. Other options include a shorter period of exclusivity: after a certain amount of time, the licensing rights revert to the type designer or foundry, allowing them to add the typeface to their retail library. And if you decide to go with a commercially available typeface without requiring exclusivity, we will work with you to tailor the licensing to fit your needs.