Overcoming Technical Challenges in Indic Font Development

As a font engineer specializing in Indic scripts, I’ve encountered numerous technical challenges unique to these complex writing systems. Having developed over 130 font families for Indic scripts, I want to share insights into these challenges and how to overcome them effectively.

The Complexity of Indic Scripts

Indic scripts like Devanagari, Gujarati, Bengali, and Tamil present distinct engineering challenges compared to Latin-based scripts:

1. Complex Rendering Requirements

Unlike Latin scripts, where characters typically connect linearly, Indic scripts feature:

  • Vertical stacking: Characters frequently stack vertically to form conjuncts
  • Contextual forms: Characters change shape depending on their position and surrounding characters
  • Reordering: Visual order often differs from logical order in memory
  • Mark positioning: Numerous diacritical marks that must position precisely relative to base characters

These requirements demand sophisticated OpenType engineering solutions.

2. Extensive Character Sets

A professional Indic font must support:

  • Hundreds of conjunct forms
  • Multiple contextual alternates
  • Script-specific punctuation
  • Special symbols and signs

For example, a comprehensive Devanagari font might require designing over 800 glyphs compared to around 250 for a standard Latin font.

Engineering Solutions for Indic Font Development

In my practice as a font engineer, I’ve developed several approaches to address these challenges:

Effective OpenType Feature Implementation

The core of Indic font engineering lies in properly implementing OpenType features:

1. Lookups and Feature Organization

I organize lookups in a specific sequence to handle the rendering complexity:

# Key Devanagari features and their functionality
nukt - Nukta forms
akhn - Akhand forms
rphf - Reph forms
rkrf - Rakaar forms
blwf - Below-base forms
half - Half forms
vatu - Vattu variants
cjct - Conjunct forms
pres - Pre-base substitutions
abvs - Above-base substitutions
blws - Below-base substitutions
psts - Post-base substitutions
haln - Halant forms

The ordering of these features is critical for proper rendering, as each transformation depends on the previous one.

2. Complex Contextual Substitutions

For Indic scripts, I often implement complex contextual substitution rules like:

# Example of a contextual substitution in Adobe AFDKO syntax
lookup REPH_VARIANTS {
    sub ka-deva' halant-deva ra-deva by ka_halant_ra-deva;
    sub kha-deva' halant-deva ra-deva by kha_halant_ra-deva;
    # ... many more substitutions
} REPH_VARIANTS;

These rules ensure that character combinations render correctly in all contexts.

Harmonizing Multiple Scripts

Many of my projects require developing typefaces that work across multiple Indic scripts while maintaining design coherence. I approach this challenge through:

  1. Establishing consistent proportions: Setting common vertical metrics and key character heights across scripts
  2. Matching stylistic elements: Ensuring curve tensions, stroke contrasts, and terminals follow similar design principles
  3. Unified spacing approach: Developing consistent spacing methodologies while respecting script-specific requirements

Case Study: Developing a Multi-Script Corporate Typeface

One of my most challenging projects involved creating a custom corporate typeface supporting Devanagari, Gujarati, Tamil, and Latin for a major Indian financial institution.

Technical Challenges Encountered:

  1. Weight consistency: Maintaining visual weight harmony across scripts with fundamentally different structures
  2. Legibility at small sizes: Ensuring clarity of complex conjuncts at small point sizes for financial documents
  3. UI performance: Optimizing font files for use in digital banking interfaces without compromising quality

Solutions Implemented:

  1. Script-specific weight adjustments: I developed mathematical compensation factors for each script to achieve visual consistency
  2. Simplified conjunct forms: Created simplified alternate conjuncts that automatically activated below 12pt
  3. Subset optimization: Created script-specific subsets to reduce file size for digital applications

The result was a cohesive type system that maintained the brand identity across all communications while addressing the technical requirements of each script.

Optical Size Considerations for Indic Scripts

Optical sizing—the practice of adjusting typeface design for different size ranges—is particularly important for Indic scripts due to their complexity.

When engineering optical size variations for Indic fonts, I focus on:

  1. Conjunct simplification: At small sizes, simplifying complex conjuncts to improve readability
  2. Counter enlargement: Increasing the internal white space within characters
  3. Junction reinforcement: Strengthening the connections between strokes that might otherwise break visually
  4. Stroke contrast moderation: Reducing contrast between thick and thin strokes at smaller sizes

For one newspaper client, implementing these optical size adjustments in their Devanagari typeface increased reading speed by 12% according to their user testing.

Future Directions in Indic Font Technology

Based on my experience in font engineering, I see several emerging trends in Indic typography:

Variable Font Opportunities

Variable font technology offers particular benefits for Indic scripts:

  • Weight and width variation: Allowing fine-tuning without file size multiplication
  • Optical size implementation: Smooth transitions between size-specific optimizations
  • Style variation: Enabling style continuums within a single file

However, engineering variable fonts for Indic scripts requires careful planning to ensure compatible outlines across all the complex conjunct forms.

Color Font Integration

The emergence of color font technologies (COLR/CPAL, SVG) presents interesting opportunities for traditional Indic typography elements:

  • Decorative headings: Traditional manuscript-inspired colored headings
  • Differentiated layers: Using color to enhance readability of complex stacked conjuncts
  • Pedagogical applications: Color-coding components to aid language learners

Technical Recommendations for Developers

For developers and designers working with Indic fonts, I recommend:

  1. Testing thoroughly with real text: Test with authentic content rather than lorem ipsum
  2. Understanding rendering differences: Be aware that Indic text may render differently across operating systems
  3. Considering context: Test fonts in their intended contexts (UI, print, signage)
  4. Checking internationalization: Ensure your infrastructure supports proper Indic script rendering

Conclusion

Engineering fonts for Indic scripts remains one of the most technically challenging areas of typography, requiring specialized knowledge of both the scripts themselves and the technologies used to render them.

As digital technology continues to evolve, I’m committed to advancing Indic typography through technical innovation while respecting the rich typographic traditions of these scripts.

If you’re working on a project involving Indic scripts and need specialized font engineering expertise, contact me to discuss how I can help bring your typography to life.

Rahul Gajjar is a professional Font Engineer specializing in complex script development with over a decade of experience creating typographic solutions for global brands, publishers, and technology companies.