Typeface vs Font
Differentiating two interchangeably used words in design.
Overview
A typeface and font are often mistaken as identical twins, but they’re quite different. Nowadays, the terms “font” and “typeface” are commonly used interchangeably, but actually, font exists as a part of the latter. They share some common traits, but a typeface is more like the parent, and font the child.
Typeface & Font
A typeface, aka type family, is a unique set of glyphs (an alphabet accompanied with numerals and punctuation) that share a common design.
A font is a typeface variation of a certain size and style. Each typeface may have numerous fonts that often differ in weight, slant, italicization, and other criteria.
Difference
Typefaces are a family of fonts whereas a Font is only one specific weight or style within a typeface family.
In a nutshell:
A typeface is like a family, and a font is like a member of the family.
To understand the difference between a font and a typeface, try thinking about your wadrobe. A typeface is a clothing type, such as a dress, pants, or shirt. A font, on the other hand, is the various styles of a dress. In a nutshell, a font is one weight, width, and style of a typeface.
- When we talk about helvetica or Times New Roman, we’re talking about typefaces.
- Helvetica is a well-known typeface, while 12pt Helvetica Bold and 14 pt Helvetica Light are its fonts.
- You may select Roboto as the primary typeface for a project, but you’d use various fonts like 12pt Roboto Regular and 9pt Roboto Bold.
- Roboto is a typeface, while its variations, such as thin, regular, and bold, are fonts.
Don’t confuse a typeface with font where the former is a father of the latter.
Learn more about UX copywriting, Wireframing, Color Theory, Color Terminologies, Typography, UX Research Techniques, Dark Mode UI, Hick’s Law, Fitt’s Law and Usability Principles.
