When you apply a static font to text, you can often choose from several font styles, such as Regular, Bold and Condensed. Variable fonts, though, allow you to adjust specific aspects of their design, known as axes of variation, or simply axes, along a continuum of values.
Examples of font variations along common axes: (A) weight (B) optical size (C) width.
Each axis can be adjusted individually, which allows for many more possible combinations than are available when using static fonts.
Depending on a font designer's intent, you may be able to make other adjustments to a font's appearance, such as :
the height of ascenders and descenders, to better fit your chosen line spacing.
the style of stem terminals, to choose between straight and swollen.
the width of counters, enclosed and partially enclosed spaces within glyphs, to affect legibility at your chosen font size.
Axis availability
You may see fewer axes in Affinity than are mentioned in a font's marketing materials. Affinity respects the OpenType specification's provision for font designers to mark any axis as hidden.
To reveal and modify hidden axes, select Font Variations and then select Show hidden axes.
A matrix of font variations along the (A) width and (B) weight axes. To adjust a variable font's settings:
With text selected that is formatted with a variable font:
On the Text panel, tap the arrow to the right of Bold/Italic/Underline/Strikethrough, and then tap Variations.
To adjust a variable font's settings: