Hello all!
I am a Year 1 Graphic Design student and I would like to clear out some terminology issues.
Is the word "typeface" synonymous to the word "font"?
I have heard some people arguing about this matter and now I am eager to know the truth.
Also, some people claim that the word "typeface" is technically incorrect as it is a legacy from the old typesetting times.
Opinions and knowledge are appreciated.
Regards.
P.S. Sorry if this topic has been discussed. I couldn't find it on search.
As far as I know:
Different Weights (light, regular, bold), different optical sizes (Caption, Regular, Display), different cuts, they all make up the same Typeface. (Often all that carries the same "name")
A font is a data file.
One thing is clear - too many opinions and no strict regulation. :)
One thing is clear - too many opinions and no strict regulation. :)
No: opinions have nothing to do with the matter, but there has been some corruption to the language.
A typeface is a particular design, with all its attendant weight and width variations, plus alternate renderings, such as swashes and small caps. A font USED to mean ONE PARTICULAR size, weight, width and variant of one particular typeface. A font has COME TO MEAN a computer data file which renders a particular weight, width or variant of a typeface which is infinitely scalable. Generally, the term font HAS BEEN CORRUPTED to mean what typeface USED to mean. However, you are correct about no strict regulation: we have the Thought Police working on that...
Great summary, Nick.
Since we're discussing terminology... Is there a difference between "logo" and "logotype"?
I have a book by Jack Gernsheimer named "Designing logos" and it makes a clear distinction:
While there are varying interpretations and uses of these words, within this book, I use the word logo to describe a symbol, mark, or icon. I use the term logotype to refer to a word or words that accompany or replace the logo as an identifier.
And how about the term "trademark"?
Jack Gernsheimer may make a distinction between the words logo and logotype, but he makes it clear that the distinction is of HIS making. What's the difference between a photo and a photograph?
Originally, a LIGATURE was a simple design element which tied two letters together, most commonly ct and st; a single cast piece of metal type containing the tied letters and the ligature--or simply tied letters like ff, fi fl, etc--was called a LOGOTYPE. However, with the passage of time and corruption of the language, what was called a logotype is now called a ligature, and the meaning of logotype has been reassigned.
Look up "trademark" on Wikipedia; the article is clear and concise.
Quip: "A font is a typeface with its hard hat on."
Long: On a computer, a font is a file with all the necessary data for a single instantiation of a typeface.
Foo Sans is a typeface. Foo Sans Semibold Oblique is a font.
a single cast piece of metal type containing the tied letters and the ligature--or simply tied letters like ff, fi fl, etc--was called a LOGOTYPE
Or untied letters--a "th" sort, for example, would also have been called a logotype (cast as one sort not because the letters are connected, but instead with the thought of saving time in composition).
Foo Sans is a typeface. Foo Sans Semibold Oblique is a font.
I thought that different weights (bold, condensed, oblique) are typefaces themselves.
So did I. But if I understood the bigwigs here correctly, it's all one big happy Weasley family.
I am a Year 1 Graphic Design student – presumably one that has not yet discovered the university library... or the power of independent thought.
What is the difference between ‘logo’ and ‘logotype’? A logotype is a logo, but with the quality of type added. Think about it.
Captured from web.archive.org on 17 Jun 2011. view this capture
