For the first time in 20 years apple introduced a new
typeface with the release of the Apple Watch in 2014; San Francisco, a neo-grotesque
sans-serif typeface. The typeface has since been introduced into all other iOS
platforms, replacing Helvetica, with the update of OS X El Capitan and iOS 9. Considering
that most designers use mac platforms, the change in typeface has an immediate
impact that designers can appreciate. I’m sure anyone who updated their phones
or computers picked up on the new typeface quickly, I was pleased with the
change and was interested in learning more about how and why they used the new
fonts.
San Francisco was first designed for use with the
Apple watch, with its small screen, this typeface had to be designed to be read
at an extremely small size. Before switching to San Francisco, Apple had
previously used Helvetica, which had been also switched from Lucida Grande
years before. But why would Apple abandon one of the most popular typefaces in
the world? The problem stems from how Helvetica loses legibility in smaller
sizes. This would especially be an issue with the apple watch and its small
screen or retina displays with extremely small text on large screens.
Helvetica
becomes blurred at small sizes
San Francisco Fonts have been designed from the ground
up to be highly legible, with the typeface actually having different fonts for
each iOS platform for maximum readability. Broken into “SF” for OSX, iOS, and
tvOS, and “SF Compact” for watch OS, One of the main differences is its use of vertical
lines.
By
using vertical lines on letters like o and e with Compact, the margins between
letters are increased, increasing legibility at small sizes. In addition to
this, the fonts are separated into two further families: Text and Display. Display is designed for text viewed at a larger size,
while “text” is meant to be seen at smaller sizes.
Now, the slight differences between the fonts may not
seem all that groundbreaking at first, the wider apertures and margins seem
like subtle changes. San Francisco, however, was actively designed to be
dynamic for a digital display. When the typeface size is reduced below 19pt, the
OS automatically switches the font to “text” from “display” and vice versa.
This comes as a big change and advantage to designers,
as now they have to worry less about whether a small font will be legible,
knowing that the operating system will change the font automatically. In
addition to the improvement of legibility, San Francisco also comes with some
quality of life changes such as creating fractions automatically, alternate 6
and 9’s, and vertically centered colons.
What
advantages does this typeface have?
Helvetica may be one of the most famous typefaces in
the world, however, it was designed in 1957 when there were no digital
interfaces. While it may be a classic typeface, it can only be adapted into the
digital display to a certain degree. San Francisco is a typeface designed
specifically for the digital age, with the ability to adapt and change
dynamically, this shows an evolution in the use of typefaces taking advantage
of digital platforms.
An additional benefit of this reader friendly typeface
comes in the form of assisting legibility in those with dyslexia or other language-based
reading limitations. Upwards of 20% of people have a hard time making out
letters on screens, which is why the legibility of a typeface is so important.
Many “classic” typefaces such as Helvetica may have nice aesthetics but often
are also difficult to read, especially but not exclusive to those with trouble
reading. SF has more rounded edges, along with a taller X-height and larger margins that allow for an easier to read font, in addition to having a pleasant look.
Although the typeface is only available on apple’s new
operating systems, I find the concept of it interesting and think it shows
promise of the future. Because apple has such unanimity with its devices, they
have the ability to use universal fonts like this, which would be more difficult
for the diverse landscape of windows operating systems and android phones. Its
usefulness on small screens lends itself well to phone and app design, making
it easier for both the designer and the reader. The future of typography could
be very different if more typefaces are developed to
dynamically change in a digital landscape. We as designers should look at how
we can utilize typefaces like these and think about the considerations that are
being made to create typefaces for the digital age.
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