Version 2.0 of Malva is here and it comes with variable fonts! If you don’t know what that means, variable fonts are one of the most exciting new developments in digital typography in the last few years. This new format allows you to have many styles in a single font file. These styles are organised along axes, which means you now have the ability to select the exact weight value you need (or any other variation the font might have). No more wishing the bold was slightly bolder and the regular was a little lighter!
You can also use variable fonts to create smooth animations like the one above. (Let me know if you’d like to see a tutorial about it.) Not only that, variable fonts also bring the potential of smaller webfonts, saving precious bandwidth while giving you more styles to use. And yes, you can use them in Adobe apps. It is a very nice format.
New OpenType features
Besides the brand new variable fonts, Malva 2.0 also comes with new OpenType features. If you’re not a big fan of the spurs on the a and l, simply turn on Stylistic Set 1. Or maybe you prefer a single-story a. No problem: activate Stylistic Set 2. Or if you really don’t care about the serifs in the capital I, you can now turn them off with Stylistic Set 3.
I have also added tabular figures, which are absolutely necessary for typesetting tables. While I was at it, I added true superior and inferior figures as well as arbitrary fractions.
All these new features have been added to make Malva more versatile. This update alone introduced 120 new glyphs. If you already have a license for it, you get this update for free. Just log into your account and download the new files. If you don’t, you can purchase yours right now with a 50% discount. Enjoy!