Contrast Rule: Contrast the Typefaces

When it comes to contrasting visual elements to look significantly different from each other (see Contrast Rule #1: Make Things Different), typefaces are no exception. But first, a word on terminology: what’s the difference between a “font” and a “typeface,” anyway? It actually does matter when you’re trying to create contrast (and you’re wanting to talk intelligently to a designer or a printing press).

Difference between “Font” and “Typeface”

There is a long-established history between the two words that dates back to Gutenberg and his 15th-Century moveable type printing system. For the sake of brevity, though, it’s mostly important to recognize that “typeface” was originally conceived to mean a collection of related letterforms under a given name like “Garamond” or “Palatino Linotype.” “Font,” on the other hand, referred to specific characteristics of the typeface, like point size and boldness.

For example, the default typeface for Microsoft Word is currently Calibri. You can change the Calibri font to 12-point bold or to 10-point italic. These are still the Calibri typeface, just different fonts.

Unfortunately, as people have become accustomed to using and modifying typefaces, the terms have become blurred and many people use the two terms interchangeably. Most often, non-designers will mistakenly say “font” when really referring to a “typeface.”

So why does this matter? When we’re talking about creating contrast, you can technically contrast both the typeface and the font. Because Contrast Rule #2 addresses contrasting with highlighting like boldness and italics and Contrast Rule #3 addresses contrasting weight (like boldness)—both characteristics of fonts—it’s important to clarify here that we want to contrast typefaces in a document.

Using two or more fonts can create visual appeal and, in most cases, I would recommend that you apply more than one typeface in a document, but not more than three (two is usually best).

To create contrast between two typefaces, choose two that look significantly different from each other. This usually means that the typefaces need to come from two entirely different families—or styles—of typefaces. For most intents and purposes in professional documents, you separate typefaces into four familes: serif, sans-serif, script, and decorative (technically, you can break those down further into a dozen or more sub-families, but these are the basic four). You can quickly see the similarities between typefaces and the differences between the families here:

As you look at these typeface families, note the characteristics that make them similar and different. If you use two typefaces from two families that look too similar (like, say, Times New Roman and Book Antiqua), it will look like you made an error. While you can sometimes use two contrasting typefaces in the same family, it’s usually best (and easier) to create contrast by using two typefaces from two different families.