Counterpunch Font Editor v0.3: Still alpha, but now generally usable

yanone
yanone Posts: 145
edited August 26 in Type Design Software


Presenting Counterpunch, a professional font studio in development. Still in Alpha (features not complete), but now generally usable for the first time:


It combines an unprecedented set of features:
  • Installation-free browser app, can run offline as a so-called Progressive Web App and open files from your computer natively.
  • Variable-first, complex-script-first: Shape any bi-directional complex script and edit all glyphs, marks, and components in-place and in-context.
  • Eliminates the tedious edit-compile-test cycle of traditional font development as the font you see in the editor is a 100% complete OpenType font, shaped by the industry-leading Harfbuzz engine, so you can ship fonts faster and with more confidence.
  • Visual glyph overview filters implemented as Python code, not limited to point-and-click interfaces. Inspect anything directly in the glyph overview.
  • AI assistant (free credit included) helps with creating reusable Python scripts and the glyph filters. It can analyze and debug complex technical issues in your font and change data on request, help with font engineering or using the app.
  • Wide arrangement of Python plugin types to extend the font building experience with OpenType feature code generators, glyph composition recipes, language and character set definitions, filters, visual plugins etc. available via a plugin manager and commercial marketplace (in development)
  • Live online collaboration (requires paid subscription; in development)
Major versions are hosted on:

Preview versions that update every other day are on:

The app is cached permanently in your browser. Simply reloading the page will not update it. A notification dot in the title bar leads you to an update button in the preferences pane when either of the above locations ship a new version.

Recommended browsers are Chrome/Chromium, Safari, and Edge.
Other browser may work but lack essential features that Counterpunch builds on, such as disk access.
Mobile browsers are not supported at this point.

The app is published under the GPLv3 license:

Online collaboration and other future services are a paid commercial extension.

My name is Yanone; I’m currently the only person making Counterpunch, with UI/UX design consultancy by Otto Kolleß.
I write code since I was 13 and design stuff since 15 years old. I have 24 years of experience in type design and 19 years in font engineering. I hold degrees in visual communication as well as type and media, and I’m a multiple-award-winning practicing type designer and font engineer. I’ve contracted for some of the biggest names in the industry, including 6 years as a font engineer for Google Fonts.

Counterpunch is my attempt to make all of my decades-old experience and ideas into one coherent, next-level font studio.

Counterpunch wouldn’t be possible without the amazing open-source components it builds on: Babelfont for source file I/O and handoff to fontc, HarfBuzz for shaping, and fontc for compilation.

I’m here to help if you run into problems.

Write to hello@counterpunch.space or raise issues at https://github.com/counterpunchspace/editor/issues. Also let me know if you want to fund the project.

Currently planning to announce Beta stage in October at ATypI 2026 in Sharjah where I’ll hold a workshop on Wednesday and a presentation on Saturday. Come say hi.

I want to build out the idea space a bit more until then. I have a looong list of ideas that are not yet implemented or even mentioned anywhere. Let’s see how far I can push it.

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