Counterpunch Font Editor: Faster, Safer Complex-Script Design (lgm2026)

A web-based font editor that reduces development time and QA overhead for complex-script projects. Combining a composition-first (ccmp) workflow with real-time HarfBuzz shaping and automatic OpenType feature generation, the editor lets designers edit base glyphs and combining marks once and see derived shapes update immediately. That single-source approach cuts the exponential QA burden of pre-composed derivatives and prevents many production errors while still allowing export of pre-composed fonts for compatibility. #Highlights * ccmp-first composition replaces thousands of manual derivatives with a single source of truth. * Real-time HarfBuzz validation makes production-accurate shaping visible during edits. * Automatic feature generation, Python scripting, and an AI assistant enable batch ops without hand-writing feature code. * Language packs and flexible glyph filters speed review and QA for specific scripts. #Impact Faster delivery, fewer regressions, smaller web fonts, and lower technical barriers for designers working with Indic, Arabic, Vietnamese and other complex scripts. Licensed to the public under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ about this event: https://pretalx.c3voc.de/lgm-2026/talk/GXFEUT/