It is very likely that you have heard of the three concepts, especially if you are in the world of graphic design. In fact, you may have used them interchangeably. However, “typeface”, “font” and “typeface family” are not the same.
Each of these terms refers to a different issue and, although they are sometimes used synonymously, it does not hurt to know the differences between them. We see them below. Attentive.
Main differences between typography, font and font family
We are going to explain what each term is and what the main differences are between typography, font and font family.
What is typography
Although many people use it as an equivalent or a kind of abbreviation for “font”, it is not the most correct. Typography is art and technique of creating and composing type or fonts with the objective of communicating a message. Those in charge of this function are called typographers.
Typography is also responsible for studying the different fonts, so it actually has more to do with the task of creating models than with the font itself.
On the other hand, when we talk about “guy“, currently we talk about design of a certain letter. This is a term that at the time referred to each piece of printing that was highlighted with a letter or other sign and that was used as a seal. Later, it also had to do with typewriter parts.
What is typographic font
A typographic font, or simply font, is a set of graphic signs of a certain type and size.
That is, it is the style that has a set of characters that in turn have common characteristics. For example, the famous Times New Roman is one font. Comic Sans is a font. Calibri is a font. But so is Calibri Italic or Calibri Bold.
What is font family
A font family is a set of fonts with a clear common base. It is basically a set of fonts with some variations, for example width and thickness.
An example of a font family could be Arial, made up of Arial italic, Arial bold and Arial regular. That is, each of the members are similar because they have the same root, but each one has its own attributes.
