Microsoft, back in 2007, replaced its default font for all-things-Microsoft from Times New Roman to Calibri. Since then, the latter has been the default font across the company’s Office apps and everything else. Now, after close to 15 years, Calibri will bid goodbye to its current default-font position. Microsoft wants you to choose its next default font.
Now, the names of the new fonts are also pretty catchy and they are Tenorite, Bierstadt, Skeena, Seaford, and Grandview. So, let us take a look at them individually, shall we?
Tenorite is the first contender to replace Calibri and has a traditional “workhorse sans serif (a font without a serif, or a stroke at the ends, like Times New Roman)” look. However, it has a more friendly, warmer style, creating a “generally open feeling.”
The second contender, Bierstadt is similar to the sans serif typeface and takes inspiration from the mid-20th-century Swiss typography. It has a versatile typeface that, as per Microsoft, “expresses simplicity and rationality in a highly readable form.”
Skeena is essentially a “humanist” sans serif that takes cues from the traditional serif text typefaces. It has a unique stroke design that delivers a striking contrast between thick and thin. Moreover, there is a distinctive slice applied towards the end of each letter. It is an ideal font for body text in long documents and shorter passages in tables, reports, ad brochures.
SEAFORD by Tobias Frere-Jones, Nina Stössinger, and Fred Shallcrass
Now, Seaford is a sans serif typeface that comes from the roots of the old-style serif text typefaces. It features a familiar design with its organic and asymmetric form and emphasizes the differences between letters to create more recognizable word shapes.
Lastly, Grandview is a sans serif typeface that comes from classic German road and railway sign fonts. The sign fonts were specifically designed to make them readable from a distance, and in poor lighting conditions, and Grandview carries a similar design. So, as per Microsoft, Grandview is ideal for body text.
One of these five new fonts will replace Calibri soon. Now, the company wants your feedback and votes to choose the next default font for its apps and services.
We need to talk. What should our next default font be? pic.twitter.com/fV9thfdAr4