Ubuntu Variable

This was a great project. First, everyone on the team was such a pleasure to work with. Second, I really admire Canonical’s ethos: Ubuntu means “humanity to others”; their mission is to bring free software to the widest audience. I love to work with organizations who are bringing good things to the world. Third, I got to talk to a guy who has been to OUTER SPACE. And not just up and back, but he was on the ISS for eight days. WHAT!

The goal of the project was to expand the existing Ubuntu styles into one variable font, filling in gaps in its design space, all with the intent to keep it free for anyone to use. I was the technical project manager for this, while David Jonathan Ross was the lead designer, with assistance from Gen Ramírez and Zrinka Buljubašić of Dual Type. As Marcus Haslam, Head of Brand Design, said, “the project ran like a dream.” The processes of making software are similar, whether it’s something as complex as an operating system, or as (relatively) simple as a font. So working with Marcus, lead visual developer Lyubomir Popov, and project manager Ege Zeytun felt familiar immediately. And talking to Mark Shuttleworth was very cool. He had the highest definition video I’ve ever seen.

Of course, no high profile project would be complete without a superb QA team. The eagle eye of Glenda Bellarosa and engineering expertise of Guido Ferreyra were essential.

I’m really proud of this one. Canonical does a lot of good in the world, and I’m honored to be a teeny, tiny part of that. I am also very proud of the meeting that I scheduled named “Ubuntu 2: Electric Boogalu.”