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Typography

How to identify a typeface

What's that font?

It's a common question but with ten's of thousands of typeface designs in use, finding an answer can be a challenge. (My terminology rant: A "typeface" is a design and a "font" is the vehicle for delivering it. If you want to identify a particular design, you want to identify a "typeface" not a "font". The feature-length rant by Allen Haley: They're not fonts! here...)

My first step to identifying a typeface design name is to attempt to find it myself. I don't like asking directions and I prefer to wander through a store and find what I'm looking for myself—yes, it's some sort of stupid macho thing. (Could be a trifecta for A&E: Intervention, Obsessed, now Directions?!)

Step 1 > Identify the category. Finding a particular typeface is a simple process of narrowing and the first way to narrow the search is to identify the typeface category and to do a quick scan of the associated faces to see if you can pick it out...

Step 2 > Capture an image and upload it to WhatTheFont. Take a photo, grab a screenshot, or find a URL for a sample of the typeface and feed it into the WhatTheFont database. It show you some suspects. (There's even an app that allows you to shoot and send samples from your iPhone)...

Step 3 > Narrow the possibilities Using Identifont. If that doesn't do it, try another do-it-yourself strategy—Identifont. It asks you a series of questions about various features of the typeface and narrows the search as you go...

Step 4 > Ask the experts. Still can't find it? Time to ask for help. Try the typophile Type ID Board...

OR more experts... at the WhatTheFont Forum on MyFonts.com...

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