Axes and masters

Variable font work is a set of explicit design locations connected by interpolation. Counterpunch shows those relationships so you can move between masters and intermediate states and watch shape continuity.

An axis is a design dimension such as weight or width. A master is a stored design at a location on one or more axes. Interpolation is the generated shape between masters. The goal is shapes that stay coherent across the design space, not only at the extremes.

Define axes and masters in Font Info panel (Axes and Masters tabs). In the Editor, the axis sliders move the current design location. Edit a glyph at one master, then at another, and move the sliders to check the path between them. Compatible point structures matter. Smooth in-betweens are the target. A jump or kink on the slider usually means the masters do not match.

A glyph that shows with gray nodes and handles is an interpolation which you can’t edit. To edit, you need to return to a precise master location (activate a layer from the layers list) first.

Stored layers and intermediate locations are in Layer operations. Terms are in the Glossary.