Scripts & plugins for font editors
During the process of designing and producing a typeface a variety of tasks can be automated by the use of scripts, bringing speed and precision to the workflow. Also the possibility to code extensions for font editors allows to add capabilities that are not supported by the apps out of the box, like new modes of visualization, drawing glyphs, etcetera.
Visualization plugins turns data in images adding new ways of working. Some of my public plugins can be installed for free via the Glyphs Plugin Manager. Pictured: Show Next Font and Show Coordinates.
This tool was developed to help the creation of a dotted typeface. It allows live editing of the paths while seeing the repetition of a module along it. At the export, supports the generation of multiple instances with variations like module size, shape, and spacing.
Download for free some of my Glyphs App scripts at Github.
Automated builds and batch editing
Chaining custom Python scripts and Command line tools enable the execution of multiple actions all at once from just a few keystrokes. This is ideal for heavy and recurring tasks like the compilation of fonts in different formats, subsetted versions and the generation of complementary files like HTML, CSS or bitmap images, among others.
Batch editing tool for making trial fonts. Typeface: Arlt by PampaType.
OTF, TTF, WOFF, WOFF2, EOT, @font-face CSS, and HTML builted in one single command.
Font and info files packaging. The tool creates creates both, single style and bundles zips ready for its distribution. The user can customize the packages content and its details by using a really simple list structured text file.
Font specific tools
There are certain projects that due to their uniqueness are difficult to carry out with the default tools. In those cases is when the development of ad-hoc tools became practically indispensable to accomplish these ideas effectively and in reasonable times.
Mazúrquica Picto is a project made in collaboration with Sergio Ramírez and Javier Quintana. The development required a set of tools for automatically create +4000 pictograms, add tags and extra details to later be used via a custom app that make easily to navigate and use them.
Proof-of-concept tool for a Bastarda Type font made out of lines. The tool allows to draw lines and see repetitions in between them in different stroke weight and quantity.
ICBC icon font created from drawings made on Adobe Ilustration. Each vector drawing was automatically imported as a glyph, positioned, named and ecoded ir order to be exported as a webfont. Note: Icon design not by me.
At export, based on the font glyphs, two CSS files are generated: one containg @font-face rules and another with the icon classes needed for its use. In addition, an HTML use intructions page is generated.
Web type tools
Nowadays showcase and distribute fonts through the web has very particular needs, unlike other digital products, fonts has to be thoroughly tested and at the same time displayed at their best. When developing this type of solutions, knowledge of web technology and fonts are necessary.
FoundryCore is specific web development service for font foundries. The back system carry out all the procedures to allow foundry admins to create complex family pages with font testers, e-commerce, and so on, by just drag and dropping fonts into the admin panel.
Web development of fully featured font testers with text input, style picking, OpenType Features, variable font axes, etc.
Interactive glyph set and glyph inspector with automatic and customizable categories.
Font micro sites and playgrounds.