The terms "font" and "typeface" are often used interchangeably, but they have distinct meanings in the world of typography and graphic design.
Typeface
A typeface refers to the design of a set of characters — including letters, numbers, punctuation marks, and symbols — that share a consistent visual style. It is the artistic creation or family of fonts. Examples of typefaces include Helvetica, Times New Roman, and Garamond.
Think of a typeface as a musical composition — the overall design or idea.
Font
A font is a specific style, weight, and size of a typeface. It is the actual file or physical embodiment (in the past, metal or wood blocks; today, digital files) that you use to display or print text.
For example:
- Helvetica Bold 12pt is a font
- Helvetica is the typeface
Think of a font as a performance of the musical composition — a specific interpretation with defined characteristics.
In Summary:
- Typeface = The design (e.g., Arial)
- Font = The specific style/weight/size of that design (e.g., Arial Italic 10pt)
Understanding this distinction is important for precise communication in professional typography and design work.