Workaround: colorfont.js

As a way to experiment with new technologies ahead of their implementation and widespread deployment, shims can show us the future, today. colorfont.js is a shim for HTML pages, which lets you retain semantics and accessibility (no duplicated text strings in the HTML source, just a simple class) while providing multicolored font rendering (adding the extra strings, extra fonts and alignment behind the scenes). Check it out!

Yes, this has the disadvantage that individual component fonts are still required. It has the advantage that the multiple colors are specified using CSS, not baked into the font. An OpenType SVG glyph solution must also be restylable via CSS.

Ana Isabel Carvalho and Ricardo Lafuente will be presenting a colorfont workshop at Libre Graphics meeting in Vienna.