Variable Type. An Introduction into the Future of Type

Every year, the International Society of Typographic Designers (ISTD) launches student briefs “to raise the profile of typography in design education”. This year, one of the briefs was about Variability and Typographic Voice.

“The goal […] is to promote adoption of variable fonts and awareness of their potential, by showcasing them as typographic tools with fluid design spaces. Your solution should show how this technology might be used, and or explain ideas of variability.” — ISTD

Wesley Barnes, student at Plymouth University, responded by creating –

a small editorial showcasing variable fonts and what they can do. As variable fonts are often talked about in terms of web design, I decided to focus on how they can also benefit print design. It features a range of typographic designs showing a number of variable fonts. As well as the type designs showing the fonts off, the page numbers also act as a flipbook, gradually growing, shrinking and changing throughout the editorial. The cover was screen printed on greyboard and it was bound by hand.

Dimensions: 5×7 inches
Variable fonts used: Grafier Variable, Agrandir Variable, Myriad Variable, Jabin Variable, Slovic Variable [the latter two are not shown here]. The typeface used for captions etc. is Gill Sans.
Materials used: 2 mm greyboard and 120gms White Munken.
Binding method: Coptic binding