Fonts Knowledge
Welcome to our library of original guides to the world of typography, which the Google Fonts team is producing in collaboration with typographic experts from around the world. Google Fonts Knowledge enables designers and developers of all skill sets to choose and use type with purpose.
Variable fonts are now a reality for use in mainstream typography, especially on the web. While they are often associated with cutting edge experimentation, they also offer many practical benefits. In these articles, we explore ways to use the technology for improvements in both the design and technical implementation of almost any project.
The rich history of type design and the technical evolution of typesetting are woven into our everyday practice of typography, from how we select fonts to how we use spacing. And while the tools we have today are more capable than ever, designing is still about problem solving. Looking to the challenges and solutions from the past helps give us a deeper understanding of how type works.
Erik Spiekermann knows everything about type—and likes to talk about it. He shows that typography is an effective tool for anyone who has something to say and wants or needs to do it on paper or on screen.
CJK is an acronym for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean scripts. These articles cover the characteristics and how to set type in each. Latin classifications (serif, humanist, geometric, etc.) do not apply directly: In Japan, “Mincho” is similar to serif, while in Korea, it’s “Myeongjo;” “Gothic” is used for sans serif in both Japanese and Korean. In China, serif-like designs are “Song Ti (宋体),” or sometimes “Mingchao Ti” or “Ming Ti (明朝体 or 明体),” to go together with the Japanese and Korean names. The sans are called “Hei Ti (黑体).” All CJK fonts also have a miscellaneous display classification: In Japan and Korea, it’s “design fonts” and in China, “decorative” fonts.
Making our text readable should be our primary goal when setting and manipulating type. Readability—along with the closely related concepts of legibility and accessibility—is at the core of typography, and yet it’s rarely discussed thoroughly in typographic contexts. In these articles, we examine the qualities of type and typography that make reading easier.
In designing Hangeul, the Korean alphabet, King Sejong the Great of Korea (1397–1450) broke from thousands of years of tradition by purposefully creating an alphabet that was easy to learn, easy to read, and easy to write—and he defied the strict societal norms of his day by using his creation to help common citizens become literate.
The Canadian Syllabics (often referred to simply as the “Syllabics”) is a writing system used by many different Indigenous language communities throughout Canada and parts of the United States. The Syllabics are unique in how they represent written language, and many communities have local requirements and preferences in how their Syllabics should appear and function as text. This module outlines the general principles used by all, as well as specific recommendations that address the requirements and preferences of specific language communities.
We all use type every day, from word processors and social media graphic apps to professional desktop design software and hand-coded websites. Good typography is within everyone’s reach, and it starts with the fundamentals. This module acts as an accessible primer for anyone to build confidence and skills, and is also a solid foundation for experienced designers looking to deepen their understanding of the basics.
Why care about typography?
An overview of Latin type anatomy
Making sense of typographic classifications
Exploring punctuation
Introducing weights & styles
Introducing alternate glyphs
Understanding numerals
OpenType features in practice
Introducing variable fonts
Introducing color fonts
How typefaces are designed & fonts are made
When you have some text, how can you choose a typeface? Many people—professional designers included—go through an app’s font menu until we find one we like. But the aim of this Google Fonts Knowledge module is to show that there are many considerations that can improve our type choices. By setting some useful constraints to aid our type selection, we can also develop a critical eye for analyzing type along the way.
Choosing web fonts: A beginner's all-in-one guide
A checklist for choosing type
Emotive considerations for choosing typefaces
Choosing reliable typefaces
Exploring typefaces with multiple weights or grades
Exploring width in type
Choosing typefaces that have optical sizes
Pairing typefaces
Pairing typefaces within a family & superfamily
Pairing typefaces by the same type designer or type foundry
Pairing typefaces using the font matrix
Exploring x-height & the em square
Adding fonts to Google Docs and Slides
When you have a typeface, how can you use it with purpose? Equip yourself with the tools and processes needed to most meaningfully work with type, from setting appropriate measures and considered line heights, to working with web fonts and implementing variable fonts.
From type to logotype
Vertical spacing & line-height in design systems
How to make type feel authentic
Installing & managing fonts—including variable fonts
Language support in fonts
Choosing a suitable line height
Understanding measure/line length
Track carefully or not at all
Manual kerning is rarely required
Avoiding widows & orphans
Working with hanging punctuation
Breaking the rules
Designing with variable fonts in desktop apps
Using web fonts
The foundations of web typography
Using web fonts from a font delivery service
Self-hosting web fonts
Implementing OpenType features on the web
Loading variable fonts on the web
Styling type on the web with variable fonts
Switching from static to variable fonts
Introducing parametric axes
The complications of typographic size on the web
Typesetting on a curved path
Augmented reality and virtual reality offer new and exciting experiences, and—for the typographer—a whole new set of challenges. This section explores the current limitations of setting type in AR/VR environments, the differences from using type elsewhere, and the best typesetting practices for this young and powerful medium.
Em
A unit of measurement, 1em is equal to the size of a font. Adjusting font size will resize glyphs relative to the em square.
Weight axis (wght)
An axis found in some variable fonts that controls the font file’s weight parameter.
Optical sizes
Different versions of a typeface optimized for use at specific sizes or size ranges.
Typeface
A typeface is what you see; a font is what you use.
X-height
The height of the lowercase characters that have no ascenders nor descenders, which indicates how tall or short the type appears.
Contrast
The difference between the thick and thin parts of a stroke. A monolinear typeface has low stroke contrast, and is the opposite of a high contrast face.