# Variable font "Style name" best practice **URL:** \ **Category:** Design\ **Created:** [July 25, 2021, 4:26pm UTC](https://forum.glyphsapp.com/t/variable-font-style-name-best-practice/19739 "2021-07-25T16:26:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![albertomalossi](https://forum.glyphsapp.com/user_avatar/forum.glyphsapp.com/albertomalossi/32/34765_2.png) [@albertomalossi](https://forum.glyphsapp.com/u/albertomalossi)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2021, 4:26pm UTC](https://forum.glyphsapp.com/t/variable-font-style-name-best-practice/19739/1 "2021-07-25T16:26:31Z")
Hi, I was wondering what is advised to put in the “Style Name” field of a variable instance. I don’t really like “Regular” and I am using “[Font Family] Variable” as the Variable Family Name. ---
**Author:** ![mekkablue](https://forum.glyphsapp.com/user_avatar/forum.glyphsapp.com/mekkablue/32/23_2.png) [@mekkablue](https://forum.glyphsapp.com/u/mekkablue)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2021, 9:35pm UTC](https://forum.glyphsapp.com/t/variable-font-style-name-best-practice/19739/2 "2021-07-25T21:35:45Z")
If upright and italic are separated in two different fonts, I usually take Roman and Italic. ---
**Author:** ![albertomalossi](https://forum.glyphsapp.com/user_avatar/forum.glyphsapp.com/albertomalossi/32/34765_2.png) [@albertomalossi](https://forum.glyphsapp.com/u/albertomalossi)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2021, 8:47am UTC](https://forum.glyphsapp.com/t/variable-font-style-name-best-practice/19739/3 "2021-07-26T08:47:50Z")
Forgot to mention, its all in one ---
**Author:** ![mekkablue](https://forum.glyphsapp.com/user_avatar/forum.glyphsapp.com/mekkablue/32/23_2.png) [@mekkablue](https://forum.glyphsapp.com/u/mekkablue)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2021, 8:59am UTC](https://forum.glyphsapp.com/t/variable-font-style-name-best-practice/19739/4 "2021-07-26T08:59:19Z")
Then I would leave it at Regular, perhaps Roman, because they are elidable names. ---
**Author:** ![michaelrafailyk](https://forum.glyphsapp.com/user_avatar/forum.glyphsapp.com/michaelrafailyk/32/32212_2.png) [@michaelrafailyk](https://forum.glyphsapp.com/u/michaelrafailyk)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 5:22pm UTC](https://forum.glyphsapp.com/t/variable-font-style-name-best-practice/19739/5 "2025-12-11T17:22:51Z")
I have read a bunch of similar topics and still don’t get what to set in the Name field of the variable font setting. Normally it should be Regular or Italic. But what if my default instance is Light Text (Variable Font Origin is set to Text Light master)? Should I set Light Text for the Name field of the variable font setting, or should I still use Regular? ---
**Author:** ![SCarewe](https://forum.glyphsapp.com/user_avatar/forum.glyphsapp.com/scarewe/32/18952_2.png) [@SCarewe](https://forum.glyphsapp.com/u/SCarewe)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 5:46pm UTC](https://forum.glyphsapp.com/t/variable-font-style-name-best-practice/19739/6 "2025-12-11T17:46:24Z")
Regular. Think of it as the subfamily name: instances that are called “Light” have the family name “Light”, and the subfamily name is “Regular”. ---
**Author:** ![michaelrafailyk](https://forum.glyphsapp.com/user_avatar/forum.glyphsapp.com/michaelrafailyk/32/32212_2.png) [@michaelrafailyk](https://forum.glyphsapp.com/u/michaelrafailyk)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 5:55pm UTC](https://forum.glyphsapp.com/t/variable-font-style-name-best-practice/19739/7 "2025-12-11T17:55:50Z")
Thanks! I see, it seems like the Name is needed to link the styles between two separated variable fonts in the application. Just to confirm. If my variable font contains all uprights and italics in one file, and my default instance is Light Text, I just need to set Regular in the Name field anyway. Is it correct? ---
**Author:** ![SCarewe](https://forum.glyphsapp.com/user_avatar/forum.glyphsapp.com/scarewe/32/18952_2.png) [@SCarewe](https://forum.glyphsapp.com/u/SCarewe)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 6:33pm UTC](https://forum.glyphsapp.com/t/variable-font-style-name-best-practice/19739/8 "2025-12-11T18:33:29Z")
Yes. You can add the “Italic style linking” custom parameter in the variable font setting in order to link the Regular to the Italic. ---
**Author:** ![GeorgSeifert](https://forum.glyphsapp.com/user_avatar/forum.glyphsapp.com/georgseifert/32/259_2.png) [@GeorgSeifert](https://forum.glyphsapp.com/u/GeorgSeifert)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 8:31pm UTC](https://forum.glyphsapp.com/t/variable-font-style-name-best-practice/19739/9 "2025-12-11T20:31:38Z")
The “Italic style linking” is for static instances. The variable Settings style name should only be either “Regular” or “Italic”. The later will trigger all the needed style liking. ---
**Author:** ![SCarewe](https://forum.glyphsapp.com/user_avatar/forum.glyphsapp.com/scarewe/32/18952_2.png) [@SCarewe](https://forum.glyphsapp.com/u/SCarewe)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 9:03pm UTC](https://forum.glyphsapp.com/t/variable-font-style-name-best-practice/19739/10 "2025-12-11T21:03:52Z")
> [@GeorgSeifert](#): > > The “Italic style linking” is for static instances. ? ![image](https://forum.glyphsapp.com/uploads/default/original/3X/c/6/c6e8193710912046e661ace83f9a7e843caa455a.png) ---
**Author:** ![alexs](https://forum.glyphsapp.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@alexs](https://forum.glyphsapp.com/u/alexs)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 3:01pm UTC](https://forum.glyphsapp.com/t/variable-font-style-name-best-practice/19739/11 "2025-12-12T15:01:43Z")
> [@GeorgSeifert](#): > > The variable Settings style name should only be either “Regular” or “Italic” Have you considered making it a dropdown with the 2 options (4?) to minimize confusion? Or maybe even replace it with the style linking checkbox “Italic”?