Make full release (variable + static) for GitHub, then link to it from Fraunces site

[arrowtype]

It's pretty cumbersome to download files directly from a repo's fonts/ folder. Instead, if you set up a release in the proper "Releases" area of the repo, it's much more convenient for people, because you can provide a zip with all files, licensing, and a README together in a one-click download.

For example, see https://github.com/arrowtype/recursive/releases. For what is probably an even better example, see https://github.com/rsms/inter/releases.

[sponcey]

Great point! Thanks for the feedback :)

[davelab6]

Once the first v1.000 version is finally ready, I look forwards to this :D

[davelab6]

By the time this is ready, GF may have some Github Actions pre-made to make this semi-automated

[davelab6]

By the time this is ready, GF may have some Github Actions pre-made to make this semi-automated

Still not ready, so a simple manual release ZIP uploaded will be fine for the 1.000 :)

[davelab6]

@thundernixon Pending confirmation in https://github.com/undercasetype/Fraunces/issues/247, I'd like to request the build script build 9 static families as follows for 162 styles, based on the 3 x 3 x 9 x 2 combinations implied by this graphic on the minisite, and include a Fraunces-v1_000-static.zip build artifact that includes them, alongside a Fraunces-v1_000-variable.zip build artifact.

I believe that nets out to the following 9 families, using rules of eliding the default, and assuming the default optical size is 72 pt, wonkiness is 0, and softness is 0.

1. Fraunces
2. Fraunces Soft
3. Fraunces ExtraSoft
4. Fraunces 144pt
5. Fraunces 144pt Soft
6. Fraunces 144pt ExtraSoft
7. Fraunces 9pt
8. Fraunces 9pt Soft
9. Fraunces 9pt ExtraSoft

and the following are all 162 $family - $styles:

Fraunces - Black
Fraunces - ExtraBold
Fraunces - Bold
Fraunces - SemiBold
Fraunces - Medium
Fraunces - Regular
Fraunces - Light
Fraunces - ExtraLight
Fraunces - Thin
Fraunces Soft - Black
Fraunces Soft - ExtraBold
Fraunces Soft - Bold
Fraunces Soft - SemiBold
Fraunces Soft - Medium
Fraunces Soft - Regular
Fraunces Soft - Light
Fraunces Soft - ExtraLight
Fraunces Soft - Thin
Fraunces ExtraSoft - Black
Fraunces ExtraSoft - ExtraBold
Fraunces ExtraSoft - Bold
Fraunces ExtraSoft - SemiBold
Fraunces ExtraSoft - Medium
Fraunces ExtraSoft - Regular
Fraunces ExtraSoft - Light
Fraunces ExtraSoft - ExtraLight
Fraunces ExtraSoft - Thin
Fraunces 144pt - Black
Fraunces 144pt - ExtraBold
Fraunces 144pt - Bold
Fraunces 144pt - SemiBold
Fraunces 144pt - Medium
Fraunces 144pt - Regular
Fraunces 144pt - Light
Fraunces 144pt - ExtraLight
Fraunces 144pt - Thin
Fraunces 144pt Soft - Black
Fraunces 144pt Soft - ExtraBold
Fraunces 144pt Soft - Bold
Fraunces 144pt Soft - SemiBold
Fraunces 144pt Soft - Medium
Fraunces 144pt Soft - Regular
Fraunces 144pt Soft - Light
Fraunces 144pt Soft - ExtraLight
Fraunces 144pt Soft - Thin
Fraunces 144pt ExtraSoft - Black
Fraunces 144pt ExtraSoft - ExtraBold
Fraunces 144pt ExtraSoft - Bold
Fraunces 144pt ExtraSoft - SemiBold
Fraunces 144pt ExtraSoft - Medium
Fraunces 144pt ExtraSoft - Regular
Fraunces 144pt ExtraSoft - Light
Fraunces 144pt ExtraSoft - ExtraLight
Fraunces 144pt ExtraSoft - Thin
Fraunces 9pt - Black
Fraunces 9pt - ExtraBold
Fraunces 9pt - Bold
Fraunces 9pt - SemiBold
Fraunces 9pt - Medium
Fraunces 9pt - Regular
Fraunces 9pt - Light
Fraunces 9pt - ExtraLight
Fraunces 9pt - Thin
Fraunces 9pt Soft - Black
Fraunces 9pt Soft - ExtraBold
Fraunces 9pt Soft - Bold
Fraunces 9pt Soft - SemiBold
Fraunces 9pt Soft - Medium
Fraunces 9pt Soft - Regular
Fraunces 9pt Soft - Light
Fraunces 9pt Soft - ExtraLight
Fraunces 9pt Soft - Thin
Fraunces 9pt ExtraSoft - Black
Fraunces 9pt ExtraSoft - ExtraBold
Fraunces 9pt ExtraSoft - Bold
Fraunces 9pt ExtraSoft - SemiBold
Fraunces 9pt ExtraSoft - Medium
Fraunces 9pt ExtraSoft - Regular
Fraunces 9pt ExtraSoft - Light
Fraunces 9pt ExtraSoft - ExtraLight
Fraunces 9pt ExtraSoft - Thin

Fraunces - Black Italic
Fraunces - ExtraBold Italic
Fraunces - Bold Italic
Fraunces - SemiBold Italic
Fraunces - Medium Italic
Fraunces - Regular Italic
Fraunces - Light Italic
Fraunces - ExtraLight Italic
Fraunces - Thin Italic
Fraunces Soft - Black Italic
Fraunces Soft - ExtraBold Italic
Fraunces Soft - Bold Italic
Fraunces Soft - SemiBold Italic
Fraunces Soft - Medium Italic
Fraunces Soft - Regular Italic
Fraunces Soft - Light Italic
Fraunces Soft - ExtraLight Italic
Fraunces Soft - Thin Italic
Fraunces ExtraSoft - Black Italic
Fraunces ExtraSoft - ExtraBold Italic
Fraunces ExtraSoft - Bold Italic
Fraunces ExtraSoft - SemiBold Italic
Fraunces ExtraSoft - Medium Italic
Fraunces ExtraSoft - Regular Italic
Fraunces ExtraSoft - Light Italic
Fraunces ExtraSoft - ExtraLight Italic
Fraunces ExtraSoft - Thin Italic
Fraunces 144pt - Black Italic
Fraunces 144pt - ExtraBold Italic
Fraunces 144pt - Bold Italic
Fraunces 144pt - SemiBold Italic
Fraunces 144pt - Medium Italic
Fraunces 144pt - Regular Italic
Fraunces 144pt - Light Italic
Fraunces 144pt - ExtraLight Italic
Fraunces 144pt - Thin Italic
Fraunces 144pt Soft - Black Italic
Fraunces 144pt Soft - ExtraBold Italic
Fraunces 144pt Soft - Bold Italic
Fraunces 144pt Soft - SemiBold Italic
Fraunces 144pt Soft - Medium Italic
Fraunces 144pt Soft - Regular Italic
Fraunces 144pt Soft - Light Italic
Fraunces 144pt Soft - ExtraLight Italic
Fraunces 144pt Soft - Thin Italic
Fraunces 144pt ExtraSoft - Black Italic
Fraunces 144pt ExtraSoft - ExtraBold Italic
Fraunces 144pt ExtraSoft - Bold Italic
Fraunces 144pt ExtraSoft - SemiBold Italic
Fraunces 144pt ExtraSoft - Medium Italic
Fraunces 144pt ExtraSoft - Regular Italic
Fraunces 144pt ExtraSoft - Light Italic
Fraunces 144pt ExtraSoft - ExtraLight Italic
Fraunces 144pt ExtraSoft - Thin Italic
Fraunces 9pt - Black Italic
Fraunces 9pt - ExtraBold Italic
Fraunces 9pt - Bold Italic
Fraunces 9pt - SemiBold Italic
Fraunces 9pt - Medium Italic
Fraunces 9pt - Regular Italic
Fraunces 9pt - Light Italic
Fraunces 9pt - ExtraLight Italic
Fraunces 9pt - Thin Italic
Fraunces 9pt Soft - Black Italic
Fraunces 9pt Soft - ExtraBold Italic
Fraunces 9pt Soft - Bold Italic
Fraunces 9pt Soft - SemiBold Italic
Fraunces 9pt Soft - Medium Italic
Fraunces 9pt Soft - Regular Italic
Fraunces 9pt Soft - Light Italic
Fraunces 9pt Soft - ExtraLight Italic
Fraunces 9pt Soft - Thin Italic
Fraunces 9pt ExtraSoft - Black Italic
Fraunces 9pt ExtraSoft - ExtraBold Italic
Fraunces 9pt ExtraSoft - Bold Italic
Fraunces 9pt ExtraSoft - SemiBold Italic
Fraunces 9pt ExtraSoft - Medium Italic
Fraunces 9pt ExtraSoft - Regular Italic
Fraunces 9pt ExtraSoft - Light Italic
Fraunces 9pt ExtraSoft - ExtraLight Italic
Fraunces 9pt ExtraSoft - Thin Italic

[arrowtype]

Okay, thanks for this specific request! This seems good, though I do have a few questions on the defaults that are blocking me. Can you and @sponcey please answer them at https://github.com/undercasetype/Fraunces/issues/247#issuecomment-708066137?

[arrowtype]

Due to reasons explained at #247 and further clarified in an email, I am making the following families (elided styles are wrapped in [square brackets]):

1. Fraunces [9pt] [Sharp]
2. Fraunces [9pt] Soft
3. Fraunces [9pt] ExtraSoft
4. Fraunces 72pt [Sharp]
5. Fraunces 72pt Soft
6. Fraunces 72pt ExtraSoft
7. Fraunces 144pt [Sharp]
8. Fraunces 144pt Soft
9. Fraunces 144pt ExtraSoft

The family is designed with just 6 weights, skipping the typical "ExtraLight" and "Medium" steps:

1. 100: "Thin",
2. 300: "Light",
3. 400: "Regular",
4. 600: "SemiBold",
5. 700: "Bold",
6. 900: "Black"

Fraunces weight progression (Click to expand)


Plus 2 slants:

1. [Roman]
2. Italic

So, 9 subfamilies * 6 weights * 2 slants = 108 static instances.

The family & style naming is a bit off (9pt & Sharp have not yet been elided), but these instances are currently available here in my mastering branch.

[arrowtype]

Actually, there is a problem with making style names elided in static fonts as they are in the variable font: it prevents users from installing both variable & static fonts, and using them in situations that are best for each.

If we make only the variable font have the simplest name, it allows a font menu to contain:

• Fraunces (the variable font)
• Fraunces 9pt [Sharp]
• Fraunces 9pt Soft
• Fraunces 9pt ExtraSoft
• Fraunces 72pt [Sharp]
• Fraunces 72pt Soft
• Fraunces 72pt ExtraSoft
• Fraunces 144pt [Sharp]
• Fraunces 144pt Soft
• Fraunces 144pt ExtraSoft

If Fraunces is the family name for both the variable font and for the static family Fraunces 9pt Sharp, users are less likely to be able to install both and still be confident that they are getting the right thing.

Therefore, I feel it is quite important to at least keep the opsz name visible, even if we make the SOFT default elided.

[sponcey]

Sounds good to me :)

[arrowtype]

Here’s how it is looking in a font menu, with variable + static fonts installed:

The VF family listing now includes both roman & italic styles (this was harder than expected):

(One thought: if there were a way to make sensible names for "Soft" and "ExtraSoft" that were alphabetically ordered, the static families would appear in a slightly more sensible order. But, I can’t really think of better names...)

[readysetinternet]

Softer?

On Thu, Oct 15, 2020 at 1:10 PM arrowtype notifications@github.com wrote:

Here’s how it is looking in a font menu, with variable + static fonts installed:

[image: image] https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/45946693/96162967-3b4bf500-0ee7-11eb-953e-d264893cc621.png

The VF family listing now includes both roman & italic styles (this was harder than expected):

[image: image] https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/45946693/96163039-56b70000-0ee7-11eb-9e93-b09ba9d56355.png

(One thought: if there were a way to make sensible names for "Soft" and "ExtraSoft" that were alphabetically ordered, the static families would appear in a slightly more sensible order. But, I can’t really think of better names...)

— You are receiving this because you are subscribed to this thread. Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub https://github.com/undercasetype/Fraunces/issues/186#issuecomment-709465964, or unsubscribe https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/ALICTKUAG7P5BKMATVYGY2TSK4UGRANCNFSM4LCTZYWA .

[arrowtype]

Good thinking! It’s a bit different from typical Google Fonts prefixing in weight names, but it is shorter and works better for this case.

@sponcey what do you think about [Sharp], Soft, Softer?

[sponcey]

How about Very Soft?

[arrowtype]

Not bad! Though, to match the weight & opsz style names, it should probably be a single word. So, that would be VerySoft.

I wonder whether it starts to sound a little bit like a tech company ... as it turns out, there is a VeriSoft FinTech company. I’m not sure whether this is a problem or not.

I did find "Velvet" as a word that might work. But, this seems like it could be divisive. Also, it may not be clear whether "Soft" or "Velvet" was the softer style....

[sponcey]

SuperSoft? I think Softer could be fine too... I just want something with a little bit more oomph

[cozysd]

Outside opinion (not sure if you're looking for any of that, or if I should mind my bidness): "Soft" and "Softer" are concise and clear. My favorites so far.

On Thu, Oct 15, 2020 8:06 PM, Phaedra Charles notifications@github.com wrote:

SuperSoft? I think Softer could be fine too... I just want something with a little bit more oomph

— You are receiving this because you are subscribed to this thread. Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub, or unsubscribe.

[arrowtype]

“SuperSoft” may be a bit tricky with name length limitations, but in normal usage, I think a really nice thing is that it creates an appealing "sawtooth" shape in typical text, which will probably subtly improve perceived simplicity & hierarchy in a font menu list:

And, I do agree that it sounds the most "intentional" and balanced in importance, whereas Softer sounds a bit like a secondary style to Soft. Equal oomph seems like the way to go on this.

For certain names, e.g. PostScript names and the composed names that will show up in Microsoft Word, the abbreviate will be a little strange ... probably, it will be SpSoft, for names like Fraunces144SpSoft-SmBItalic and Fraunces 144 SpSoft SmBd. Then again, these abbreviated names always look kind of weird, and I don’t believe they should affect naming decisions too much.

[arrowtype]

As for the main question of this thread, the release package(s), Dave requested:

include a Fraunces-v1_000-static.zip build artifact ... alongside a Fraunces-v1_000-variable.zip build artifact

@davelab6 Do you feel strongly that two separate zips is ideal? My personal feeling is that a single download that includes both – plus some recommendations about what to use where – is the simplest for users on a few fronts. This is what I do for Recursive, and I think it is a fairly good approach.

• It allows a single “Download” link, e.g. ArrowType-Recursive-1.065.zip.
• The explanation of variable-vs-static fonts has to be made for most users, and including it in a README.md of the download avoids requiring some kind of explanation to be added to the release notes.

I will start by making the single download zip as I am fairly convinced in it being the better choice, but I am happy to adjust things if you feel otherwise.