The character a can be represented by many glyphs set in different typefaces. …and this is a showing of Garamond Condensed, a typeface design.Ī character is the symbol representing a letter.Ī glyph is the specific shape, design, or representation of a character. To summarize, designers select typefaces for their work, but then use fonts to create the actual document or design. Each point size of a given typeface – such as 8 point, 10 point, 12 point – is considered a different font. In metal, a font refers to every character included in a single size of a particular typeface.

In phototype typography, which preceded digital technology, a font refers to the film onto which the typeface is imprinted. Today’s digital fonts are created with font production tools these fonts are considered to be software. Typeface refers to the style, or design, of a set of characters (such as the Helvetica, Bodoni, or Times Roman typefaces).įont, on the other hand, refers to the technology – or method – used to reproduce or set the typeface.

Many people who use fonts everyday have begun to say “font” when they really mean “typeface.” The words in each pair are related, but they refer to different things – and they are not interchangeable. In this blog post, we will shed light on three pairs of words that are widely misused. In the world of type and design, there are a number of typography terms that are either commonly confused with other terms, or are simply misunderstood in their own right.

Create font glyphs