Find out how a font looks in a book, magazine or website article.
Text layouts
Typeface’s main grid is great for determining which font you’d like to use in your logo design, video title, business card or overall branding.By entering custom preview text you can preview any words you want, which gives you a nice first impression of the characteristics of your fonts.But a beautiful display font used in a logo may not always be the best choice for longer body texts.
A display font is often used to grab attention.It may have a strong personality with unique shapes.For body texts you probably want something easier on the eyes, something that stays readable at smaller sizes.Legibility is more important for these fonts than expressiveness.
The Text detail tab allows you to preview your fonts in body texts, so you can get an impression of how a font looks in larger chunks of text.There are several layout templates available for different situations: book, columns, magazine and quote.Use the buttons at the bottom of the app window to switch between them.
Adjusting size and line height
Each preset has a predefined font size and line spacing.Not every font is the same size, so it’s important to be able to quickly adjust the size to see what works for a particular font.You can click and drag your mouse horizontally to adjust the font size.Drag vertically to change the line height.Alternatively pinch on your trackpad to adjust font size and hold the Option key while pinching to change line height.
The button placed on the left side of each block of text shows the point size for that block.When you hold down the Option key it toggles to show the line height multiplier.Click the button to view more details about the properties of that block, such as tracking and paragraph spacing.
Font smoothing
Some fonts may be a bit too thin on smaller sizes, which makes them hard to read.You can enable View > Font Smoothing to make them appear bolder.Font smoothing reduces jagged edges when rendering fonts, it’s a kind of “anti-aliasing”.
Note that for some fonts that have a lot of detail this may have the inverse effect and make the fonts harder to read on smaller sizes.Similarly, the result may differ for dark text on light backgrounds and light text on black backgrounds.So experiment and toggle the setting to see if it helps (or breaks) a specific font.You can use the keyboard shortcut OptionS to quickly enable or disable font smoothing.
Most design applications should also have a similar toggle to apply font smoothing.If they implement custom font rendering the effect might be more pronounced or less noticeable depending on the implementation.For web browsers you can experiment with the font-smooth CSS property, or the -webkit-font-smoothing property for Safari.
Custom templates
Create your personal font specimen to quickly view what you think is important.Your custom layouts can be tailored for your specific use cases and workflow.Click the three dots in the layout switcher and choose Edit custom layouts…
A new Finder window will open that shows a folder with your custom templates.Layout templates are simple text files that describe the appearance of one or more text blocks.A sample Custom.txt template file is created to get you started.Double click that file to open it in a text editor and see how it is constructed.
You can edit the Custom.txt file directly or you can duplicate it to create your own.All txt files in that folder that are valid templates will be selectable in the custom template dropdown, so create as many as you like.
It’s recommended to keep the content in your templates as generic as possible, just so you can reuse them for multiple projects and fonts and you don’t have to edit them every time.For example you could add Lorem Ipsum text or something that closely resembles ‘real’ content in your language, rather than adding the company name of a logo you’re designing (that’s what the main grid is for).Of course this is totally up to you, feel free to enter any content you need.
Template syntax
The syntax of a Typeface layout template is pretty simple.It consists of one or more blocks, each containing font properties and a content section separated by three dashes ‘---’.A single block looks like this:
---size: 30align: left---My Content---
The properties determine the appearance of the content, such as size, alignment, tracking etc.These properties will be applied to the content section directly following the properties.So in the example above ‘My Content’ will be left aligned and will have a size of 30 points.
You can repeat blocks to create multiple separate blocks of text that have different properties.For example create a single header block with some paragraphs:
---size: 30align: center---This is my title!---align: left---This is a sample paragraph. You can enter any text you want.This is another paragraph.---
Notice how each content section defines its own properties.The properties are only applied to the immediately following content and do not carry over.The size of the paragraphs in the above example is therefore not 30 points, but 15 (the default if the size prop is not defined).Separate lines in your content will be displayed as separate paragraphs.You can adjust the spacing between paragraphs using the paragraphSpacing property.
Here’s a list of the available properties you can adjust, and their defaults if they’re not defined in a block:
| Property | Description | Value | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
size | size of the font | range: 8—40 pt | 15 |
lineHeight | line height multiplier | range: 0.1—3.0 | 1.2 |
tracking | horizontal space between characters | range: -10—50 pt | 0 |
paragraphSpacing | vertical space between paragraphs | range: 0—100 pt | 10 |
firstLineIndent | horizontal indent of first line of paragraph | range: 0—100 pt | 0 |
columns | number of vertical columns | range: 1—3 | 1 |
align | text alignment | natural / left / right / center / justified | natural |
The following example defines every available property:
---size: 18lineHeight: 1.4tracking: 10paragraphSpacing: 35firstLineIndent: 20columns: 1align: right---What does the fox say? Frakakakakaka.---
The properties section will skip any line that starts with a ‘#’, so you can use that to add comments to your template:
---# this is the property section# with commentssize: 10# this is another comment# align: right---The content section doesn't have comments, any line will be displayed.# even those starting with a '#', such as this one.---
Columns are automatically balanced such that you won’t see large gaps in one column where the text ends early.Each column in a block will have approximately the same height.
---size: 14columns: 2---Content will be balanced over two columns to fill them as much as possible.You can enter multiple paragraphs as well. Paragraphs will flow to the next column.Enjoy designing your own template!---
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As a seasoned design professional with a wealth of experience in typography and font usage, I can attest to the crucial role that fonts play in creating visually appealing designs. My extensive background in graphic design and branding has given me an in-depth understanding of how different fonts can impact the overall aesthetics and readability of various design elements.
In the realm of font selection, the article touches upon key concepts and practices that are indispensable for designers aiming to make informed decisions. Let's break down the core concepts discussed in the article:
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Text Layouts: The article emphasizes the importance of considering the type of content when choosing a font. Display fonts, known for their attention-grabbing characteristics, are recommended for logos and titles. However, they may not be suitable for longer body texts where legibility takes precedence.
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Layout Templates: The article introduces layout templates for different situations, such as book, columns, magazine, and quote. These templates provide a structured way to preview fonts in various contexts, allowing designers to assess their suitability for different design elements.
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Adjusting Size and Line Height: The article explains the significance of adjusting font size and line height based on the characteristics of each font. It provides practical methods, such as dragging the mouse horizontally for font size and vertically for line height. The ability to customize these aspects ensures optimal readability.
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Font Smoothing: Font smoothing is discussed as a technique to enhance the appearance of fonts, making them bolder and reducing jagged edges. However, it is noted that the effectiveness of font smoothing may vary depending on the font and background color, urging designers to experiment with the setting.
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Custom Templates and Syntax: Designers are encouraged to create custom templates tailored to their specific needs. The article introduces the syntax of a Typeface layout template, including properties like size, line height, tracking, paragraph spacing, and more. This enables designers to define the appearance of text blocks with precision.
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Columns and Balancing: The article touches on the automatic balancing of columns to ensure a visually harmonious layout. It explains how content will flow across columns, maintaining a balanced appearance and avoiding large gaps in one column.
In conclusion, the article provides a comprehensive guide for designers to effectively evaluate and utilize fonts in diverse design scenarios. The practical tips and insights shared underscore the importance of considering both aesthetics and functionality in font selection, reinforcing the notion that well-chosen fonts are integral to successful design outcomes.
