Skip to main content
  1. Blog
  2. Article

Marcus Haslam
on 20 May 2010


At the recent Ubuntu Developer Summit (UDS), we invited Type Designer Bruno Maag from Dalton Maag to talk about the new open-source font design development for the Ubuntu operating system (name yet to be finalised but there’s a good chance it could be called Ubuntu : )).

Bruno gave two talks – the first, an intro session just after lunch. A mere fifteen minutes to excite the audience about type (and that, my friends, is no mean feat!) and also to entice people to come to the workshop straight afterwards.

In the second session (which I saw people actually running to), Bruno revealed the processes involved in creating a design that underpins the new Graphical User Interface design and extensive language support. His presentation went from sketches of initial designs to a live hinting demo. Hinting is a technical process that allows character shapes to adapt to the resolution and abilities of the device on which they’re being displayed.

A great way to explain how the art and science work so brilliantly together.

We look forward to seeing the font in all its glory.

Related posts


Johann Wolf
27 April 2026

Why Web Engineering is great

Ubuntu Article

Like many software engineers, one of my first software development experiences started with creating my own web page. Since that time 20+ years ago, a lot has changed in the web landscape. Having worked a lot in web since then, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on what I think makes web great! ...


Miguel Divo
13 February 2026

From inspiration to impact: design students from Regent’s University London explore open design for their dissertation projects

Design Article

Last year, we had the opportunity to speak at Regent’s UX Conference (Regent’s University London’s conference to showcase UX work by staff, students, and alumni), where we engaged with students to make them aware of open design and their ability to contribute design skills to open source projects. The talk sparked great discussion, and we ...


Miguel Divo
19 January 2026

Showcasing open design in action: Loughborough University design students explore open source projects

Design Article

Last year, we collaborated with two design student teams from Loughborough University in the UK. These students were challenged to work on open source project briefs. Team 1 focused on non-code contributions, while Team 2’s brief was to create a unified documentation experience, giving them a chance to apply their design skills to real-wo ...