Today, a design project always requires an understanding of fonts. You have to know which font to use in your project and how to deliver that to your client.

1. A Typeface Is Not A Font, Here’s Why
Creatype Studio
Today, a design project always requires an understanding of fonts. You have to know which
font to use in your project and how to deliver that to your client.
But wait, you just heard somewhere that you are using the wrong typeface for the project.
What does that mean? Doesn’t that person really mean font?
Well, not exactly. I mean, in some context, yes it’s true that font and typeface can be used
interchangeably. But it’s good to actually know the di erence for that time when it actually
matters. And anyway, as a designer, you need to always upgrade and expand your knowledge
right?
Okay, so in this post, we are going to look at the di erence between fonts and typefaces. And
maybe dive a little bit into the history also.

2. If you want to understand it quickly, just think of the typeface as a family. While a font is a
member of that family, you know like the father, the son, or the holy mother of god. Well,
maybe not exactly like that. But that could be the rst start.
So, yeah, we could say the di erence between a font and a typeface is that a font is part of a
typeface while a typeface consists of several fonts. It is that easy. Well, sometimes.
If you look at Helvetica, you o en heard it referred to as a font, right? People say it all the
time, I mean like in a conversation at a cafe while getting your latte with extra pumpkin spice
in October or something. Right? No? Okay, I digress.
Anyway, some people refer to Helvetica as a font when some say that it is actually a typeface.
Helvetica is a family of fonts in the san serif style. All the fonts in that family have a certain
sense of design, a similarity that makes it clear they’re all part of the same family.
Di erences between fonts in a typeface family can be in weight, style, and size or even how
they are more or less condensed than one another, sometimes there is an italics member of the
family. We can tell each member of the family apart by their names, words like light, regular,
medium, semi bold, bold, and extra bold are o en used to distinguish between fonts in the
same family.
I hope that really clears it up for you. Because basically, that is all the di erence between fonts
and typefaces. One is part of the other.
But wait, you said, what if a font doesn’t have a family? Are they called an orphan?
Actually, a font without a family is still part of a family. It’s just a family of one. We could call
it an orphan if you’d like, but that is not the standard. We could call it sad, but fonts don’t
actually have feelings and this metaphor of fonts being part of a family is starting to conjure
images of an Italian migrant family trying to make it in New York in the forties but ending up
creating an organized crime empire. “I’ll make him an o er he can’t refuse.”
Anyway, I’m here to tell you that the di erence actually matters. So, for example, you are
doing a design project as part of a larger team. And the project manager or creative lead or
What Is The Difference?
When Does It Matter?

3. someone important asks you: Hey, kid, what font are you using here?
Now, your answer better not be something like: It’s Helvetica, Boss, forget about it, will ya?
Because that is actually the typeface. You need to be very speci c and name the exact font,
something like: It’s actually Helvetica Regular, at 11 points for the body text, why Boss?
Knowing the exact font can be important for making sure the same one is used across multiple
designs. Even more important when it’s for an app design and that font needs to be coded in
and the developer may need to code in di erent font for a di erent display or something.
So, yeah, it can matter. It should be on your documentation, what speci c fonts were used, and
from what typeface.
Ah, yes, the history lesson. If you nd this boring you could just skip t the next part. But it
might be cool to know a little bit of history in the stu that you are working with all the time.
So fonts and typefaces have their roots in printing history. Did you know that font actually
derived from the Middle French word ‘Fonte’? If you do, good for you. If not, well, here comes
the history lesson.
So back in the days of early printing, words are created on blocks to be printed on paper.
Printing machines used what is called movable type, meaning each letter is created on a single
block. This is usually made of metal.
Now, the word fonte actually means ‘to cast in mental’. Back then, printers (the people, not the
machine) cast complete sets of letters from metal to make up a font. Interesting, right?
They separate those fonts with a common design to create a typeface. These were usually kept
in a box consisting of two cases. Get this: the case on the top usually contains all capital
letters, hence the word uppercase to describe capitalized letters. And lowercase to describe
uncapitalized letters. Don’t you just love history?
The Historical Bit

4. Okay, back to the present. We’ve been understanding typeface as a family of fonts. In reality,
there are cases when saying a typeface can refer to something a bit more general. This is like
referring to someone as belonging to a certain lineage or heritage.
For example, Don Corleone is an individual part of the Corleone family. But he can also be
called a part of a larger group of people known of Sicilian descent.
The same thing can be said for a font. Helvetica Regular is a font in the Helvetica typeface, but
we could also say that Helvetica Regular is a sans serif typeface.
Are you confused? Hope not.
So, remember that a Helvetica typeface has some de ning characteristics? It has similar
design features within the family that each font shares.
Well, a typeface actually can be used to refer to the similarity in a wider sense. For example, a
serif typeface is all fonts that have little ‘tails’ at the end. While a sans serif typeface refers to
When A Typeface Is Not A Family

5. all fonts that do not have those tails.
Here are some common typefaces that you may hear:
Serif — Fonts with little “tails” (called serifs) at the end of their lines. Famous ones
include Times New Roman and Garamond.
Sans Serif — Fonts that have no serifs. For example Helvetica or Arial.
Decorative — These are fun fonts that are used mainly for decoration. You may have
heard some like Chiller, Outlaw, or Nightmare.
Script — These are beautiful fonts that mimic handwriting styles. You can check out
some fonts like Karllina or the infamous Halimun.
Brush — Similar to the script, but these are fonts that mimic brush strokes. There is one
called Brush Script, also you might want to check out Southwell.
Display — Generally refers to fonts that are more suitable for large headings. Display
typeface can be decorative but can also be less ashy but still better suited for use in large
sizes than for body text or subheadings.
On a design project, what really matters is the speci city. Knowing the exact font and being
able to communicate that exact font is important. So whenever the question of font arises,
always use the exact speci c font, even down to the size. As mentioned earlier.
You can use font family or typeface to communicate the exact typeface, i.e. Helvetica. This is
o en used in general discussion before the design is actually created. And used words like font
category or type to refer to the more general typeface like serif or sans serif.
Of course, all of that depends on the context of your project and the consensus of your design
team. Don’t be so tough on semantics when talking generally, but do have to know the
di erence when talking speci cally.
Once you know and understand the di erence between fonts and typefaces, you may come
across the word typography and starts to get confused again. Maybe you won’t, but let’s clarify.
Which One Do I Use?
Wait, What About Typography?

6. Typography refers to a whole di erent thing. This is actually an act of arranging text on the
page, or whatever surface your design is created on.
A typographic work means testing out and designing how the text will t on the design
pleasantly and be able to communicate legibly. Although you must remember David Carson
once famously said legibility does not equal communicability.
In typography, you are not designing the letters but you are working with existing fonts and
typefaces. You choose which to use, in what size and tweaks the little things, you know like
the spacing, capitalization et cetera.
Conclusion
If you can understand the di erence between fonts and typeface by context, you don’t really
have to use the ‘correct’ word for it. But you could use that di erence to communicate clearly.
For example say you want a certain typeface can free up the designers to be creative within
that scope, choosing the right font for the job. But saying a speci c font can be useful for
clarity. Use what you need, when you need it, and always try to make sure the other party
understands what you are trying to communicate.
Creatype Studio
Type Designer & Lettering
www.creatypestudio.co