Now *this* is how you show off your new variable font.
Swiss type foundry Grilli Type are at it again with GT Alpina. There really is no better way to describe it than in the foundry’s own words:
GT Alpina by Reto Moser proudly calls itself a workhorse serif, but delights in playing with the very meaning of that concept. It reaches into the grab bag of typographic history to resurrect shapes some may mistakenly see as too expressive.
Now for the extra icing on the cake: the font has been beautifully engineered as a beloved variable font!
This huge serif family consists of 7 subfamilies: 3 widths, 2 contrast levels, plus a monospaced sibling. It’s been a crazy 8 years of work and we’re so excited to release it out into the world. https://t.co/PlsUprxbR9
— Grilli Type Foundry (@grillitype) January 15, 2020
And what better way to show off what a variable font can do, than with a fully interactive experience?
A huge thank you to Reto for his endurance designing this family and humoring our requests for ever-more insane variable fonts specifically created for the minisite. Roman to Italic? Proportional to Monospaced? SURE! pic.twitter.com/XRDIoObRcG
— Grilli Type Foundry (@grillitype) January 15, 2020
As you scroll through the site, you are presented with great type samples, in between the explanations of what makes the font special. You can interact with each of these samples. Touching from left to right lets you see the font change right in front of your eyes.
The studio has a lot to show off here, including this fantastic hourglass font glyph, again animated with variable fonts.
Yes indeed this is a variable font glyph with a frame by frame animation of an hourglass what have you been working on for the past year?https://t.co/PlsUprxbR9 pic.twitter.com/5dMYmFWsRD
— Grilli Type Foundry (@grillitype) January 15, 2020
Reto Moser, the primary designer really has outdone himself with this one. If you’re feeling inspired, Reto has shared a collection of favorite books that is definitely worth eyeballing.