What is the difference between font and typography

The word font itself comes from the Middle French 'fonte', meaning cast in metal. Printers cast complete sets of metal letters to make up a font. Fonts with a common design made up a typeface. In a box containing a specific font were two cases — one for capitals and one for small letters — which is where upper and lower case comes from. Blocks of text were assembled letter by letter to form a page layout, which was then rolled with ink and pressed onto paper to make prints. With the advent of digital typesetting, much of the hot metal terminology was maintained, but the context and the possibilities changed completely.

Each letter is completely scalable, based on the same vector formulae. The reason we focus on fonts today is largely as a result of desktop publishing and word processing applications, which have a Font menu. When you click it, you get a list of typefaces to choose from — Arial, Baskerville, Caslon etc — and from there you set the specifics of the font — Medium Italic 16 point, for example.

Ironically, although it irks typographers that people mix up the terms font and typeface, people today actually know far more about type than ever before thanks to their computers. In contrast, telling them you want a specific font makes your vision absolutely clear—which you need to have the vocabulary to do when you have a specific vision for your finished project.

Looking for a designer who can bring your project to life and express your unique brand through typefaces and fonts that work? Check out our community of designers to find the perfect designer for your brand.

Our newsletter is for everyone who loves design! Let us know if you're a freelance designer or not so we can share the most relevant content for you. By completing this form, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Designers, check out these contests so you can start building your career. Get a design. Illustration by OrangeCrush Typeface vs. It can get a bit granular. What is a typeface? Typefaces are categorized based on their style.

Some of the most common types of typefaces are: Serif typefaces Serif typefaces are, as the name implies, typefaces that include serifs. Via Post Press Garamond is a common serif typeface for example. Via Wikimedia Commons Bodoni and Didot are two others.

Blackletter typeface, based on the calligraphy used to hand-copy books in the Middle Ages. Via Toptal. Via Free Fonts Vault. Via Site Point. Via My Fonts. Via Font Mirror. Via FFonts. Via Identifont. Via Fonts. Via Fonts Market. So, in this case, it seemed crucial to use the correct terminology to avoid expensive printing production errors. The confusion of the two terms actually came with the rise of digital publishing and the naming convention in operating systems. With any software, and you are asked to choose a font and not a typeface, which would make more sense.

A font is merely a document you install that allows you to use a particular typeface. The word font now refers to the syle and the look. Even in CSS, you use the font-family property to set a typeface for the text. Any changes you want to do in a font - whether is size, weight or even color - you do everything digitally, with relative ease and speed, and without any high costs.

The reality is that, currently, the distinction between these two terms is confusing, unnecessary, and even a little bit old-fashioned. Knowing the difference can play a significant role not just in the area of Type Design, but also in Product Design , Product Engineering and even Web Design.