A Non-Designer's Guide to

Using Fonts Correctly

While the power of visual storytelling is magical we’ve got a long way to go before text is extinct. Which means you better learn how to use fonts effectively or you’re going to be looking straight down the barrel of obscurity. Right out the gate I need to clarify a common mistake. The correct term to use when describing lettering is ‘typeface’ and not ‘font’.





TYPEFACE vs. FONT

Typeface is the actual character set. For instance, Arial, Times New Roman, or Century Gothic.

Font is the specific size and style of a typeface.

For example: Arial, is the typeface, Arial 10pt bold is the font.

Here’s the deal: Since this guide is for non-designers I’m going to use ‘font’ and ‘typeface’ interchangeably….BUT, now you know the difference so consider yourself edumcated. (yep, you read that right!)





ANATOMY OF A FONT

Now, you can’t wield fonts like a ninja until you understand how they work. So let me introduce you to their anatomy.

There are five main structural parts of a font, which are each identified in the graphic below.