Typeface and Font : Difference with Examples
Rashika Ahuja
Dec 21, 2019
Typeface and Font are the two interchangeably used terminologies. Even the experienced designers sometimes get confused among the two. But are they the same? Absolutely not. A set of letters which, when combined and designed together systematically and harmoniously forms a typeface. A typeface is a set of characters or letters that share a typical design pattern, basic shapes that make up the structure for that particular typeface.
A font is a specific size, style, weights, widths of a particular typeface. In a layman's term, it can be called as a subset of a typeface. A typeface can also be referred to as the font family. A collection of glyphs (the graphical representation of a character)
Let's understand these with some examples. Transitional Serif, Geometric Sans, Script, Bodoni are all examples of typefaces. Whereas, Futura, Courier, Lucida, Calibri, Myriad, and many more like these. A typeface is what you see, and the font is h0w you use it.
Typefaces are laid out, pre-defined, and follow the rules of how you must use them whereas a font can be illustrated, styled, and enhanced as per the requirement of your interface.
Helvetica is a widely known typeface. The letter shapes and width are unusually uniform, providing an overall texture to it. It further comprises of a whole collection of fonts with specific weight, style, and size. Let's take one more example.
A font is a specific size, style, weights, widths of a particular typeface. In a layman's term, it can be called as a subset of a typeface. A typeface can also be referred to as the font family. A collection of glyphs (the graphical representation of a character)
Let's understand these with some examples. Transitional Serif, Geometric Sans, Script, Bodoni are all examples of typefaces. Whereas, Futura, Courier, Lucida, Calibri, Myriad, and many more like these. A typeface is what you see, and the font is h0w you use it.
Typefaces are laid out, pre-defined, and follow the rules of how you must use them whereas a font can be illustrated, styled, and enhanced as per the requirement of your interface.
Helvetica is a widely known typeface. The letter shapes and width are unusually uniform, providing an overall texture to it. It further comprises of a whole collection of fonts with specific weight, style, and size. Let's take one more example.
- The text written above uses a typeface of Avenir.
- The text uses a font size of 14px and font style of regular.
- The following text uses a font size of 18px and is italicized as the font style.
