Verdana

Designer: Matthew Carter // Foundry: Microsoft // Country of origin: United States Release year: 1994 // Classification: Humanist Sans

Matthew Carter is probably one of the most well-known living type designers. He gained that position not by imposing a recognizable personal style but by solving design problems, by creating functional type that serves a specific need. Just like Bell Centennial, Verdana is another case in point. Its large, broad lowercase letters with slightly flaring terminals, its seriffed “I,” “J,” and “j,” and its loose spacing can appear almost horsey when viewed large or in print. But this typeface was made for the screen. Every design decision makes Verdana the most legible small Text option for the coarse resolutions of all but the most modern displays. The family, along with Georgia, was recently expanded to 20 styles, including a very welcome condensed width.