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Graphic Design vocabulary · Typography

Font family

Meaning in graphic design, with examples

/ˈfɑːnt ˌfæməli/nounCommon term

In graphic design, font family means: A group of related fonts that share the same design but differ in weight, width or style, for example Roboto Light, Roboto Regular, Roboto Bold and Roboto Italic.

In Turkish: font ailesi, yazı ailesi

How it is used

Used when choosing typefaces for a brand or a long document. A large font family gives many options while keeping a consistent look; in CSS, font-family is the property that sets the typeface.

Example sentences

  1. We chose one font family with eight weights, so we don't need a second typeface.

  2. Make sure the whole font family is licensed, not just the regular and bold.

Common collocations

  • a large font family
  • variable font family
  • license the font family
  • superfamily
  • typefaceA particular design of letters, numbers and symbols that share the same style, such as Helvetica, Garamond or Futura, usually available in several weights and styles.
  • fontOne specific style and weight of a typeface, such as Arial Bold, usually stored as a file you install on your computer. In everyday speech it often means the typeface itself.
  • font weightHow thick or thin the strokes of a font are, from thin and light through regular and medium to bold and black.
  • serifA small line or foot at the end of the strokes of a letter, as in Times or Garamond. A typeface with these details is also called a serif.

More terms: Typography

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