I wish the article mentioned WHY this change was deemed to be necessary. Nothing against this font, but if like to know what was wrong with current defaults and why they needed to be replaced,...
I wish the article mentioned WHY this change was deemed to be necessary. Nothing against this font, but if like to know what was wrong with current defaults and why they needed to be replaced, justifying years of effort (and, I suspect, a lot of money too). Is it because they were not "expressive and inclusive" enough (not sure what that even means, by the way - sounds like meaningless corporate gobbledygook to me)?
My guess is that Bierstadt was named after the painter. It's also a town in Germany. This is probably the reason they changed it: Years ago a lot of discussion was had around some salty comments...
If it wanted to be inclusive, it should've been one of those dyslexic friendly fonts. Even a particularly able bodied person like myself felt sort of 'meh' at the whole thing. My standard phrase...
If it wanted to be inclusive, it should've been one of those dyslexic friendly fonts. Even a particularly able bodied person like myself felt sort of 'meh' at the whole thing.
My standard phrase for something like this is "They needed something for their annual performance review."
It feels exactly that way to me too: a new thing or a change just for the sake of being able to tell your management "here, we did this NEW thing, isn't it great?!" I mean, it's fine - I have no...
It feels exactly that way to me too: a new thing or a change just for the sake of being able to tell your management "here, we did this NEW thing, isn't it great?!"
I mean, it's fine - I have no problem with most fonts, I just wonder if we really need another one barely distinguishable from a bunch of existing ones unless you're a font fanatic...
I don't want to speak for everyone, but I hate looking at Calibri, so this is a welcome change. And FWIW they announced they'd be developing a new font back in 2021, so it's something they've been...
I don't want to speak for everyone, but I hate looking at Calibri, so this is a welcome change. And FWIW they announced they'd be developing a new font back in 2021, so it's something they've been working toward for some time.
When Microsoft first released their own fonts, they were pretty bad. Granted most people at the time weren't familliar enough with font design to notice, when they released the newer sets 15~20...
When Microsoft first released their own fonts, they were pretty bad. Granted most people at the time weren't familliar enough with font design to notice, when they released the newer sets 15~20 years ago, they were a notable improvement.
But I'm with you, I don't get why they felt the need to make a new one. There was a trend a while back where big tech companies were trying to increase their branding by having a signature font (such as IBM Plex), but that time has come and gone.
Even Danish rails (DSB, state-owned train company) have their own font. I've always disliked it though, especially the g just pisses me off lol - besides, why do they need or even want their own...
Even Danish rails (DSB, state-owned train company) have their own font. I've always disliked it though, especially the g just pisses me off lol - besides, why do they need or even want their own unique font? I guess the only reason is what you say, that it was a trend?
I like the italic g, but the regular one is weird. It does kind of solve the issue (that really only exists in handwriting) of descenders overlapping the line below.
I like the italic g, but the regular one is weird. It does kind of solve the issue (that really only exists in handwriting) of descenders overlapping the line below.
My initial impression is that I like it. Fonts can make a huge improvement in quality of life. Every time I get a new phone I always change the default font to Google Sans, and it makes a huge...
My initial impression is that I like it.
Fonts can make a huge improvement in quality of life. Every time I get a new phone I always change the default font to Google Sans, and it makes a huge difference in ease of legibility.
The thing I hate the most about reading about this is, there's no 1:1 alphabet. I do web design and I also like learning about fonts, I've played Type:Rider and shit like that. They should be...
The thing I hate the most about reading about this is, there's no 1:1 alphabet. I do web design and I also like learning about fonts, I've played Type:Rider and shit like that.
They should be leading with "Here's what it used to look like, here's what it is now" and frankly, it's either hard to find, or doesn't exist yet.
I can't comment on why they changed the font, maybe it's just so they can have a press release about something; but I'm certain they named it Aptos because it begins with A, I'll bet it's easier to find.
I feel stupid for asking this, but... Are there any pictures of this font actually being used in a Word document? Maybe I was spoiled by @jdsalaro's lovely programming font blog post that showed...
I feel stupid for asking this, but... Are there any pictures of this font actually being used in a Word document?
Maybe I was spoiled by @jdsalaro's lovely programming font blog post that showed actual real-world examples of how each font looks in practice, but... The last thing I want to see is a snazzy neon-tinged mockup with busy images and graphic elements polluting the actual font bits. This article (and the underlying Microsoft Design blog post) hurts my eyes. :v
I'll definitely say I've avoided Calibri in general. Typefaces/fonts is one of those things I don't tend to have super thought out opinions on, just gut reactions generally. I like how Aptos is...
I'll definitely say I've avoided Calibri in general. Typefaces/fonts is one of those things I don't tend to have super thought out opinions on, just gut reactions generally. I like how Aptos is less rounded than Calibri, though, in the same vein as Helvetica. It feels more modern? I'm not exactly sure, but I like it.
I actually like Calibri, but understand how it could seem dated. This font has a very "new internet" feel to it- it fits right in with the flashy reactive web designs and apps of today. It's...
I actually like Calibri, but understand how it could seem dated. This font has a very "new internet" feel to it- it fits right in with the flashy reactive web designs and apps of today. It's modern, smooth, and corporate.
My favorite corporate font, by far, is GE's Inspira.
I just hope they did their due diligence with prioritizing its on-screen readability. I get why some people don’t like Calibiri, but it was designed to be legible on-screen and it did a great job...
I just hope they did their due diligence with prioritizing its on-screen readability. I get why some people don’t like Calibiri, but it was designed to be legible on-screen and it did a great job at it whether most people realize it or not. I don’t want a new more modern font if it makes readability worse. I’ll take a utilitarian font over a more beautiful font when it comes to staring at it everyday in documents, emails, and so on.
Also, I hope it looks more consistent across operating systems, including mobile.
FWIW my favorite reading font is Amazon’s Bookerly. I can legit read books quicker because of it.
They've had the Segoe font family since Vista. If they had any interest in switching Office to it, I would have expected them to do so back then. Since they're going for a new font now (or well,...
They've had the Segoe font family since Vista. If they had any interest in switching Office to it, I would have expected them to do so back then. Since they're going for a new font now (or well, in 2021) it makes sense to have a new font designed, so it feels fresh and new. I presume the modern feeling is the entire point.
As for why they didn't switch Office to Segoe in 2007, I guess Windows and Office are just different teams, where the people in charge of making decisions have different tastes.
Segoe UI does not make for a good general font, like for long document with heavy body copy, etc. It’s ok for short headlines, UI elements (perhaps why they even put it in the name).
Segoe UI does not make for a good general font, like for long document with heavy body copy, etc. It’s ok for short headlines, UI elements (perhaps why they even put it in the name).
I wish the article mentioned WHY this change was deemed to be necessary. Nothing against this font, but if like to know what was wrong with current defaults and why they needed to be replaced, justifying years of effort (and, I suspect, a lot of money too). Is it because they were not "expressive and inclusive" enough (not sure what that even means, by the way - sounds like meaningless corporate gobbledygook to me)?
My guess is that Bierstadt was named after the painter.
It's also a town in Germany.
This is probably the reason they changed it:
Years ago a lot of discussion was had around some salty comments in Windows source code. Then there was the whole song-sharing-is-called-squirting thing with Zune. They're probably a bit leery of that kind of ridicule again.
If it wanted to be inclusive, it should've been one of those dyslexic friendly fonts. Even a particularly able bodied person like myself felt sort of 'meh' at the whole thing.
My standard phrase for something like this is "They needed something for their annual performance review."
It feels exactly that way to me too: a new thing or a change just for the sake of being able to tell your management "here, we did this NEW thing, isn't it great?!"
I mean, it's fine - I have no problem with most fonts, I just wonder if we really need another one barely distinguishable from a bunch of existing ones unless you're a font fanatic...
I don't want to speak for everyone, but I hate looking at Calibri, so this is a welcome change. And FWIW they announced they'd be developing a new font back in 2021, so it's something they've been working toward for some time.
When Microsoft first released their own fonts, they were pretty bad. Granted most people at the time weren't familliar enough with font design to notice, when they released the newer sets 15~20 years ago, they were a notable improvement.
But I'm with you, I don't get why they felt the need to make a new one. There was a trend a while back where big tech companies were trying to increase their branding by having a signature font (such as IBM Plex), but that time has come and gone.
Even Danish rails (DSB, state-owned train company) have their own font. I've always disliked it though, especially the g just pisses me off lol - besides, why do they need or even want their own unique font? I guess the only reason is what you say, that it was a trend?
I like the italic g, but the regular one is weird. It does kind of solve the issue (that really only exists in handwriting) of descenders overlapping the line below.
My initial impression is that I like it.
Fonts can make a huge improvement in quality of life. Every time I get a new phone I always change the default font to Google Sans, and it makes a huge difference in ease of legibility.
The thing I hate the most about reading about this is, there's no 1:1 alphabet. I do web design and I also like learning about fonts, I've played Type:Rider and shit like that.
They should be leading with "Here's what it used to look like, here's what it is now" and frankly, it's either hard to find, or doesn't exist yet.
I can't comment on why they changed the font, maybe it's just so they can have a press release about something; but I'm certain they named it Aptos because it begins with A, I'll bet it's easier to find.
I feel stupid for asking this, but... Are there any pictures of this font actually being used in a Word document?
Maybe I was spoiled by @jdsalaro's lovely programming font blog post that showed actual real-world examples of how each font looks in practice, but... The last thing I want to see is a snazzy neon-tinged mockup with busy images and graphic elements polluting the actual font bits. This article (and the underlying Microsoft Design blog post) hurts my eyes. :v
Let it be know, dear sir, that it's 2AM in Germany :P
https://tildes.net/~design/183r/a_quick_look_into_microsoft_officess_new_default_font
Here's to hoping this kills off Calibri
Oh, yes, I'm not the only one that dislikes Calibri.
Can't put my finger on it, but I'm just... not a fan.
Same. I don't know why, but I've always hated Calibri, ever since I first saw it.
I'll definitely say I've avoided Calibri in general. Typefaces/fonts is one of those things I don't tend to have super thought out opinions on, just gut reactions generally. I like how Aptos is less rounded than Calibri, though, in the same vein as Helvetica. It feels more modern? I'm not exactly sure, but I like it.
I actually like Calibri, but understand how it could seem dated. This font has a very "new internet" feel to it- it fits right in with the flashy reactive web designs and apps of today. It's modern, smooth, and corporate.
My favorite corporate font, by far, is GE's Inspira.
Unrelated: The Aptos crytpocurrency is currently up
76.02%140%231.48% in trade volume and up 11% in value as of this announcement.I just hope they did their due diligence with prioritizing its on-screen readability. I get why some people don’t like Calibiri, but it was designed to be legible on-screen and it did a great job at it whether most people realize it or not. I don’t want a new more modern font if it makes readability worse. I’ll take a utilitarian font over a more beautiful font when it comes to staring at it everyday in documents, emails, and so on.
Also, I hope it looks more consistent across operating systems, including mobile.
FWIW my favorite reading font is Amazon’s Bookerly. I can legit read books quicker because of it.
I believe that was the main reason they decided to introduce a new default.
This article mentions Segoe UI, but it doesn't say why they aren't switching to it (instead of inventing yet another new font).
Does anyone know?
They've had the Segoe font family since Vista. If they had any interest in switching Office to it, I would have expected them to do so back then. Since they're going for a new font now (or well, in 2021) it makes sense to have a new font designed, so it feels fresh and new. I presume the modern feeling is the entire point.
As for why they didn't switch Office to Segoe in 2007, I guess Windows and Office are just different teams, where the people in charge of making decisions have different tastes.
Segoe UI does not make for a good general font, like for long document with heavy body copy, etc. It’s ok for short headlines, UI elements (perhaps why they even put it in the name).
Is there a way to download the font?
Have Microsoft forgotten their own history? Poor Arial...
At least this new font looks a lot better than Calibri.