Open Sans IPA

2022-12-12

This is an Open Sans variant that contains the International Phonetic Alphabet Extensions Unicode block.

If you simply need fonts for immediate use, it's simplest (for the near term) to simply download the compiled font files as a package in dist/open-sans-ipa.zip. This project isn't tracking the main Google effort, nor am I actively drawing or doing development work beyond ensuring these files exist, provide coverage, and don't break. You are welcome to fork this, but who knows what the future holds?

• First Peoples Languages in British Columbia
• Language Coverage
• Font Weights and Styles
• Directory Structure
• Technical Notes
• TMI
• Where This Is Going

First Peoples Languages in British Columbia

This is an Open Sans variant to add coverage for many of the orthographies of the languages of the First Peoples of British Columbia.

British Columbia is unique within Canada when it comes to Indigenous language diversity. In the context of Canada, B.C.’s languages make up more than 50% of the approximately 61 languages indigenous to this country.

• There are 34 First Nations languages within 7 distinct unrelated language families.
• There are 3 languages once spoken that are now sleeping.
• Languages Indigenous to other parts of Canada are now spoken in B.C. because of migration.
• Source: Report on the Status of B.C. First Nations Languages 2018, Third Edition, Fact Sheet
• Many of these languages use the International Phonetic Alphabet for their written representation.

Language Coverage

These fonts provide coverage for B.C. First Nations languages that use Latin and/or International Phonetic Alphabet for their writing systems.

• International Phonetic Alphabet Extensions, Unicode Range 0250—02AF
• Spacing Modifiers, Unicode Range 02B0—02FF
• Combining Diacritical Marks, Unicode Range 0300—036F

These fonts do not contain

• Unified Canadian Aboriginal Syllabics, Unicode Range 1400—167F (Dene & Cree)
• Unified Canadian Aboriginal Syllabics Extended, Unicode Range 18B0—18FF (Dene & Cree)

Font Weights and Styles

Normal Width

• Thin OpenSansIPA-Thin
• Thin Italic OpenSansIPA-ThinItalic
• Light OpenSansIPA-Light
• Light Italic OpenSansIPA-LightItalic
• Regular OpenSansIPA-Regular
• Italic OpenSansIPA-Italic
• Semibold
• Semibold-Italic
• Bold OpenSansIPA-Bold
• Bold Italic OpenSansIPA-BoldItalic
• Extra Bold OpenSansIPA-ExtraBold
• Extra Bold Italic OpenSansIPA-ExtraBold

Condensed Width

• Thin OpenSansIPA-CondensedThin
• Thin Italic OpenSansIPA-CondensedThinItalic
• Light OpenSansIPA-CondensedLight
• Light Italic OpenSansIPA-CondensedLightItalic
• Regular OpenSansIPA-CondensedRegular
• Italic OpenSansIPA-CondensedItalic
• Semibold
• Semibold-Italic
• Bold OpenSansIPA-CondensedBold
• Bold Italic OpenSansIPA-CondensedBoldItalic
• Extra Bold OpenSansIPA-CondensedExtraBold
• Extra Bold Italic OpenSansIPA-CondensedExtraBoldItalic

Directory Structure

dist contains a compressed (.zip) archive of compiled binaries in 3 flavours:

• TrueType Font (.ttf)
• Web Open Font Format File (.woff)
• Web Open Font Format 2.0 File (.woff2)

fonts contains compiled binary font files.

sources contains source .ufo files.

Technical Notes

These fonts are based on Open Sans available via Google Fonts. This project isn't forked and it doesn't track the original project.

These fonts are generated from the original projects sources .ufo files as at 2022-12-12. Subsequently they have all the IPA and diacritics needed. They also have a lot of kerning pairs and other features that maybe make them a bit large or exhibit momentary delays when displaying for the first time on a device.

These were made to solve some particular problems with previous versions from previous projects. Don't use those. Use these.

TMI

In 2015–2016 I extended Open Sans with characters in the IPA unicode range, in order to learn how to handle type and type design. This had the additional benefit of providing a useful font for Vancouver Public Library's new website which had the dual requirements of attempting to adhere to brand guidelines of the time, and establishing typographic support for Indigenous languages of the three First Nations' ( xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) ) territories, where Vancouver now exists.

In order to do this work, I established a project separate from the Google Open Sans effort. This was a deliberate choice because I knew I would not be able to actively maintain my fork as Open Sans evolved. Instead I maintained separate files and updated only a couple of times as the local languages and VPL's needs changed.

In 2017 I returned to the work in earnest, with the intent of expanding coverage for all available weights and styles at the time. This became Open Sans FPBC.

Then because of my mental health and a worldwide pandemic, the project lay fallow.

In 2022, VPL required even more coverage, which I was happy to add. I became excited about the project again too. I added the required characters but sadly I introduced a scaling flaw by specifying the wrong units per em in various files with predictably bad results.

And that brings us to now.

STILL NOT A FORK of the original project because I think of this as an interim solution to getting IPA (and eventually, Canadian Syllabics) into Open Sans.

NO SEMIBOLD because there are no .ufos of semibold; and I am not able to draw or generate the characters required at this time.

I have used the .ufo files because they are character complete in the Unicode Ranges mentioned above. The shipping .ttf files in the Google Fonts Open Sans project contain only a subset of the IPA and other unicode ranges needed.

Where This Is Going

The First Peoples of British Columbians deserve typeface options, far beyond this modest effort.

Ideally some kind of coalition of First Nations could

• Encourage Google to ensure its Noto Project covers IPA and orthographies such as Unified Canadian Aboriginal Syllabics, Cherokee, Deseret, Osage and others
• Encourage Google and participating type designers to expand their fonts to include these ranges for all the typefaces available via Google Fonts
• A wider general appeal to type designers and foundries to expand their current libraries with these characters, and to include them by default in their new typefaces
• Perhaps provide some kind of foundation to establish a design team to identify and extend typefaces in this manner

You and I can become advocates for this effort too. Try to find opportunities and ways to elevate this issue and address it in whatever way possible. Whether modest or bold.

Feel free to talk to me about any of this. Reach out via email and be sure to use words like Open Sans, IPA, Indigenous, First Nations in the subject line.