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Khoa_JAK
Khoa_JAK
New Member
Jun 5, 2026 11:40 AM UTC
Question

Support Variables for Variable Font Axes (e.g. Round, Width, Weight)

Would Figma consider supporting Variables for variable font axes in the future?

We're using Google Sans Flex and switch between two visual modes:

Formal - `Rond = 0`
Friendly/Cute - `Rond = 100`

Example of the ROND (Round) axis in Google Sans Flex. We use this setting to switch between formal and friendly typography styles.​​​​​

Currently, font axis values such as Round (ROND) cannot be controlled by Variables. Because of this, we have to maintain two separate text-style systems even though everything else is identical.

after add rond

If variable font axes could be bound to Variables, we could switch typography modes through Variables and maintain a single text-style system instead.

Example concept: Variable Font axes such as Weight and ROND could be connected to Figma Variables, allowing typography modes to switch automatically.

This would be especially useful for design systems that use variable fonts to express different brand personalities across themes or modes.
 

    2 replies

    David N
    David N
    New Member
    Aug 19, 2026 12:50 PM UTC

    Agreed.

    Also read and write access to variable axes beyond wght would make a real difference, and I'd add openTypeFeatures to the same request: it's readable today but read-only, so a plugin can see which stylistic sets a designer has enabled and has no way to apply them.

    Today fontName only reports the nearest named instance, so any custom axis value set in the type panel is invisible to us, and alternates are a one-way street.

    Worth noting the axis data is already in the file, it just isn't surfaced: the old Inspect panel used to output font-variation-settings (it disappeared with Dev Mode), and FONT_VARIATIONS exists as a VariableScope in the REST API spec while being absent from the plugin typings entirely.

    Kyle_Stalla
    Kyle_Stalla
    New Member
    Nov 11, 2026 2:20 PM UTC

    Seems im not the first one to think of this. +1 to the request! 

     

    Being able to map this would be helpful for light/dark mode adjustments where hinting is either not available, or a more dramatic change is needed (ie. medium needs to be juuuust a bit bolder, but not at the semibold level). Variable fonts allow for more minute adjustments to typographic settings and is supported by current web development standards.

     

    Tried to ‘cheese it’ and use a string and write the font-variation-settings line and apply it as the variable for the weight setting. Unfortunately, didn’t work for my multi-axis font (weight / style).  

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