HAL TypePad
Ever tried manually applying a variable font transformation across a hundred glyphs in InDesign? If so, you’ve either (a) cried, or (b) abandoned the idea entirely. Variable fonts offer incredible freedom in theory. In practice? Until recently, they often felt locked behind the blandest UI: a lonely slider per axis, buried in a panel, daring you to touch it once and forget it exists.
So yes, when first using HAL TypePad, it was a relief. In short, it is a free plugin for InDesign that lets you explore variable fonts with the energy and immediacy of a drum machine. You get a grid of big, clicky buttons. You get ranges like glyph, word, line, and line by line. You get operators with names like Mountain, Valley, Oscillate, and Random. You press a button and things happen. Visibly. Playfully. Reversibly. Finally.
What does this mean for actual design work? For us, it’s less about finishing something quickly (although yes, it does save a ridiculous amount of time) and more about having a digital companion that encourages real experimentation. Before, we were spending too much time manually testing ideas that should’ve been easy to simulate. Now, we’re actually exploring typography in ways that surprise.
As more variable fonts enter everyday workflows, self-initiated tools like TypePad help us to explore them in static media. There’s still so much left to explore. But that’s kind of the point. And speaking of digital tools: Slanted Magazine #47 is dedicated entirely to them. The issue will explore the wide (and weird) world of how we make things today. If you're developing your own tools — or just obsessed with one — now’s the time to share it. You can submit suggestions or projects via the call for entries.
Brought to you by HAL Typefaces
Illustrations by Dario Danielli
Coding by Christoph Seibel
