Have you ever wondered how you can add a unique personal touch to your designs? Do you want to use fonts that go beyond just traditional letters and numbers? SVG-in-OpenType fonts are the perfect solution for you! This technology allows you to embed complex SVG graphics inside font files, unlocking a whole new world of creativity in programs like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign.
This tool and this Illustrator-Template will help you convert your designs into OTF fonts for easy use in Adobe programs.
Basic Steps to Create Your Custom Fonts:
Step 1: Design Your SVG Characters
The journey begins in Adobe Illustrator, where your ideas turn into graphics:
Set up the workspace: Create a new artboard with dimensions 1000 × 1000 pts. Remember, the bottom-left corner of the artboard is the starting point for the character, and the bottom line is the baseline for the font.
Design the glyphs: Start designing your characters within these artboards. It’s important to keep in mind that font layout is from left to right. You can design anything—numbers, symbols, or even small illustrations.
Convert text to outlines: This is a crucial step! Before exporting, make sure to convert all text objects to outlines, as SVG files do not accept live text directly.
Important note: The tool supports up to 26 characters, corresponding to uppercase letters A to Z, and their order is very important.
Step 2: Export to SVG
After finishing your designs in Illustrator, it's time to export:
Use “Export for Screens”: In Illustrator, use the "Export for Screens" option.
Select artboards: Choose the specific artboards you want to export.
Choose format and location: Select SVG as the file format and specify the export location.
Step 3: Convert SVG to Font
Now comes the fun part—turning your graphics into a real font:
Use the web application: You’ll need to use the designated tool.
Enter the font name: Type the desired name for your new font (e.g., "numbers").
Upload the SVG files: Upload all the exported SVG files.
Convert and download: The application will convert them into an OpenType font file, which you can then download.
Step 4: Use the Font in InDesign (or Other Adobe Programs)
Now it's time to see your creativity in action:
Copy the font file: Copy the downloaded font file to the “Document Fonts” folder of your InDesign project.
Font appears: The new font will show up in InDesign’s font list.
Use custom characters:
To use the custom characters in numbered or bulleted lists, access the list settings.
Set the list format to uppercase letters A–Z (as the characters are defined this way).
Create a new character style and select your custom font.
You’ll see your custom numbers appear in the list! The process is similar for bullet lists, allowing you to choose any custom design.
Important Notes to Consider:
RGB colors: SVG files use RGB, so any CMYK designs will be converted to RGB in the process.
Limited character support: The current tool only supports uppercase letters A–Z. This means no spaces, punctuation, or other symbols.
Avoid overly complex designs: Avoid using highly complex designs like full images, as they can significantly increase the font file size and impact performance.
Gradient support: The good news is that color gradients are supported!
Creating custom SVG-in-OpenType fonts opens wide doors for creativity, letting you express your unique style in every design. Try it today and let your imagination run wild!