Desk Reference: Making Choices Not for Print

Welcome to the first of our Typographic Desk Reference Articles! Making Choices: Not for Print. [View in Browser]( [Hot New Fonts]( | [Best Sellers]( | [What's New]( | [Special Offers]( | [Bundles]( | [WhatTheFont]( [Typographic Desk Reference: 01 Making Choices] Making Choices: Not for Print Type creates memorability, entices audiences, commands attention, and enlightens the reader. But simply engaging and informing audiences is no longer enough. Type is now being called on to envelope them. This expanded view of typography embraces a wide range of disciplines including graphic, interactive, architectural, interior, landscape, and industrial design – sometimes all at the same time. Digital is not Print The problem is that most of the typefaces we use were designed for print – not the other aspects of experiential design. If you take-on just about any kind of non-print project, textual fidelity and typographic legibility can be compromised by not choosing the correct fonts. What to Look For The best typeface for digital imaging, regardless of the application, should have the following attributes: - A large lowercase x-height – especially where screen real estate and available pixels are limited. Since most of the letters we read are lowercase, the larger they are in proportion to the caps, the easier they are to discern. - Open counters, the white space within letters such as o, e, c, etc., helps to define a character and influences recognition. Small counters can fill-in and distort characters on digital screens. - Generous apertures: Apertures are the opening between a counter and the outside of a character in letters like the e, s and C. If they are not sufficiently open, they can easily fill-in, turning c’s into o’s and making other characters less than crystal clear. - Individual letter shapes can also affect typeface legibility. For example, the two-storied a is much more legible than the single-storied design and the bowl-and-loop g is easier to identify than the bowl and hook variety. - Moderate contrast in character stroke thickness: Typefaces with strong contrast in character stroke weights do not image accurately in many digital environments. In addition, if pixels are at a premium, as they are on small screens, hairlines can disappear – or become too heavy. - Marked contrast between medium and bold weights within the type family. Many typefaces designed for print have subtle weight graduations. If typeface weights are too close to each other, the medium and bold weights of a typeface family may be hard to differentiate when seen on-screen. - Generous inter character spacing ensures even typographic color and reading ease at small sizes and low resolutions. If there is not sufficient spacing, r’s and n’s can look like m’s and o’s and l’ like d’s. Also, the white space around letters helps to define them. Specialized Designs In addition, some traditional print typeface designs have been modified to optimize their imaging at small sizes in digital environments. For example, counters may be slightly expanded to retain their character even in small point sizes. Also, stroke thickness may be discreetly increased and x-height carefully adjusted. Often glyph spacing and kerning is also modified. Monotype calls these designs “eText” fonts. There also a growing number of typefaces that have been designed specifically for on-screen imaging. FF Nort, Burlingame, Felbridge and PMN Caecilia Sans were all designed from the get-go to be powerful interactive performers. Today’s designers are on the leading edge of typography’s future. They’re dealing with all aspects of communicating with type. Just remember: the first rule is “Type First” and the second is “Choose Wisely.” Shop the fonts the appear in this article [ITC Franklin Gothic]( ITC Franklin Gothic™ $299 | 20 fonts [Malabar]( Malabar® $427 | 6 fonts [Trade Gothic Next]( Trade Gothic® Next $399 | 17 fonts [Egyptian Slate]( Egyptian Slate™ $399 | 12 fonts [Nadianne]( Nadianne™ $227 | 6 fonts [Unitext]( Unitext™ $199 | 14 fonts [ITC Legacy Sans]( ITC Legacy® Sans $220 | 15 fonts [Joanna Sans Nova]( Joanna® Sans Nova $399 | 16 fonts [Xenois Sans]( Xenois® Sans $378 | 10 fonts [ITC Stone Humanist]( ITC Stone® Humanist $189 | 14 fonts [Aptifer Sans]( Aptifer® Sans $299 | 14 fonts [FF Nort]( FF Nort™ $199 | 16 fonts [Burlingame]( Burlingame® $449 | 36 fonts [Felbridge]( Felbridge™ $299 | 12 fonts [PMN Caecilia Sans]( PMN Caecilia® Sans $299 | 42 fonts Download a pdf version of this [article]( here! | | | | The Monotype Brand Family MyFonts Inc. 600 Unicorn Park Drive Woburn, MA 01801 United States of America The promotions featured in this email newsletter are only valid for purchases made online at [MyFonts.com](. It is never our intention to send unwanted e-mail. [Click here]( to instantly unsubscribe from emails like this. Felbridge, Unitext, Nadianne, Egyptian and Franklin Gothic are trademarks of The Monotype Corporation and may be registered in certain jurisdictions. Aptifer Sans, Trade Gothic and Malabar are trademarks of Monotype GmbH registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and may be registered in certain other jurisdictions. Stone, Xenois and ITC Legacy are trademarks of Monotype ITC Inc. registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and which may be registered in certain other jurisdictions. Joanna is a trademark of The Monotype Corporation registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office and may be registered in certain jurisdictions. Nort is a trademark of Monotype GmbH and may be registered in certain jurisdictions. FF is a trademark of Monotype GmbH registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and may be registered in certain other jurisdictions. Burlingame is a trademark of Monotype Imaging Inc. registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and may be registered in certain other jurisdictions. PMN Caecilia Sans is a trademark of Monotype Imaging Inc. registered in the U.S. MyFonts and MyFonts.com are trademarks of MyFonts Inc. registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and may be registered in certain other jurisdictions. Other technologies, font names, and brand names are used for information only and remain trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. The body text is set in [Avenir® Next Rounded]( by [Linotype](. The subtitle is set in [Bradley Texting™]( by [Monotype](. ©2020 MyFonts Inc.