Until recently, I thought ‘font’ referred to different styles of text I could choose from and ‘typeface’ meant the same.
This is one example of how words matter, and I’m happy to admit: I was wrong.
Typefaces and fonts
A typeface is the collective term for a family of related fonts, such as Calibri. Fonts refer to the weights, widths and styles that constitute a typeface, such as Cailbri light, italic or bold. Most people use the terms typeface and fonts interchangeably, as I did, but they are wrong to do so. In every day usage it does not matter, but in the publishing world the distinction is important.
I have long been fascinated with how I have absorbed publishing language but misunderstood its meaning. This helps me empathise with those who struggle with homophones: words which sound the same but are spelt differently such as there and their.
A writer who appreciates style
A fellow editor and proofreader recommended I read Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski. Aside from being a beautiful coming of age story exploring sexuality, the book contains an unexpected delight.
Just after the acknowledgements page, there are two blank pages before a paragraph describing the typeface used in the novel. Jedrowski lovingly details the origins of Lintoype Sabon, a typeface that, as he recalls, has been used since 1966 and is considered a modern classic. Why does this matter, you may ask?
When writers, editors and proofreaders have spent hours, sometimes years, creating a mood or realising a world for the reader. That world needs to be presented in the most aesthetic way possible. There is so much thought and consideration given to a book’s cove design. I love how Jedrwoski has taken the time to detail how much thought is put into the typeface as well.
He expresses something about the publishing process that few outside the industry spend time considering. It is how all the elements of the publishing process are put together to support the written words.
The very stylish Margot Lévêque and Romie
A recent article for the excellent online culture magazine, It’s Nice That features a profile of the graphic designer, Margot Lévêque. It is heartening to read how this well-known creative began her professional life after abandoning a degree in biology and switching to a marketing course in Paris. Her signature typeface is the wonderful Romie a typeface based on calligraphy that captures the romanticism of the past with a modern edge. I love how Margot discusses the personification of all her typefaces as if they are her friends and she can imagine them all hanging out with one another.
So, in conclusion, typeface matters if you want to be accurate and you are working in any aspect of the publishing industry. As a proofreader and editor, I need to know the difference. As a potential client, it is useful but not essential.