Editing Verdana

{{Short description|Humanist sans-serif typeface}}
{{Other uses}}

{{Infobox font
| name = Verdana
| image = VerdanaSpecimen.svg
| style = [[Sans-serif]]
| classifications = Modern Humanist
| releasedate = 1996
| creator = [[Matthew Carter]]
| foundry = [[Microsoft]], [[Font Bureau]] (Verdana Pro)
| based_on = [[Tahoma (typeface)|Tahoma]]
| metrically_compatible_with = [[Bitstream Vera Sans]]<br>[[DejaVu Sans]]
| variations = [[Meiryo]]<br/>[[Verdana#Microsoft variants|MS Reference Sans Serif]]<br/>[[Verdana#Microsoft variants|Nina]]<br/>[[Verdana#Verdana Pro|Verdana Pro]]<br/>[[Verdana#Microsoft variants|Verdana Ref]]
}}

'''Verdana''' is a [[humanist sans-serif]] [[typeface]] designed by [[Matthew Carter]] for [[Microsoft|Microsoft Corporation]], with hand-[[font hinting|hinting]] done by [[Thomas Rickner]], then at [[Monotype Corporation|Monotype]]. Demand for such a typeface was recognized by [[Virginia Howlett]] of Microsoft's [[typography]] group and commissioned by [[Steve Ballmer]].<ref name="Verdana & Ballmer">{{cite book|editor1-last=Re|editor1-first=Margaret|title=Typographically Speaking: The Art of Matthew Carter|date=2003|publisher=Princeton Architectural|location=New York|isbn=9781568984278|pages=41–2|edition=2.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WqXd_w4S4SsC&pg=PA41|access-date=26 March 2016}}</ref><ref name="Apple updates iBooks with new book fonts" /> The name "Verdana" is derived from "[[Wiktionary:verdant|verdant]]" (green) and "Ana" (the name of Howlett's eldest daughter).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dmxzone.com/go?6669 |title=Interview with Virginia Howlett, mother of Verdana |publisher=Dmxzone.com |date=2004-06-24 |access-date=2013-09-21}}</ref>

Bearing similarities to [[:Category:Humanist sans-serif typefaces|humanist]] sans-serif [[typeface]]s such as [[Frutiger (typeface)|Frutiger]], Verdana was designed to be readable at small sizes on the low-resolution [[computer screen]]s of the period.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.will-harris.com/verdana-georgia.htm | title=Georgia & Verdana - Typefaces designed for the screen (finally) | year=2003 | access-date=9 August 2013 | author=Will-Harris, Daniel | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130828210842/http://www.will-harris.com/verdana-georgia.htm | archive-date=28 August 2013 | url-status=dead }}</ref> Like many designs of this type, Verdana has a large [[x-height]] (tall lower-case characters), with wider proportions and looser letter-spacing than on print-orientated designs like [[Helvetica]]. The [[counter (typography)|counters and apertures]] are wide, to keep strokes clearly separate from one another, and similarly shaped letters are designed to appear clearly different to increase legibility for body text. The bold weight is thicker than would be normal with fonts for print use, suiting the limitations of onscreen display.<ref name="Matthew Carter MyFonts interview" /> Carter has described spacing as an area he particularly worked on during the design process.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Drucker|first1=Johanna|editor1-last=Re|editor1-first=Margaret|title=Typographically Speaking: The Art of Matthew Carter|date=2003|publisher=Princeton Architectural|location=New York|isbn=9781568984278|pages=12|edition=2.|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WqXd_w4S4SsC&pg=PA12|access-date=26 March 2016|chapter=Typographic Intelligence}}</ref>

==Distinctive visual identifiable characteristics==
[[File:Tahoma vs. Verdana font comparison.png|thumb|upright=1.4|A comparison of [[Tahoma (typeface)|Tahoma]] and Verdana]]
Some characteristics of the typeface are as follows:
{| class="wikitable"
! Letter
! Characteristic
|-
| style="font-family: 'Verdana', sans-serif" | i
| square dot
|-
| style="font-family: 'Verdana', sans-serif" | j
| serif protruding left
|-
| style="font-family: 'Verdana', sans-serif" | a
| double story
|-
| style="font-family: 'Verdana', sans-serif" | Q
| tail is centered
|-
| style="font-family: 'Verdana', sans-serif" | J
| serif protruding left
|-
| style="font-family: 'Verdana', sans-serif" | I
| two serifs on the top and bottom
|}

As an example of the approach of making similar characters easily distinguishable, the digit '''<span style='font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif'>1</span>''' (one) in Verdana was given a horizontal base and a hook in the upper left to distinguish it from lowercase '''<span style='font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif'>l</span>''' (L) and uppercase '''<span style='font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif'>I</span>''' (i). This is similar to the digit "1" found in [[Morris Fuller Benton]]'s sans-serif typefaces [[News Gothic]] and [[Franklin Gothic]].

==Prevalence==

Released in 1996, Verdana was bundled with subsequent versions of the [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] [[operating system]], as well as their [[Microsoft Office|Office]] and [[Internet Explorer]] software on Windows, [[classic Mac OS]], and [[Mac OS X]]. Since at least Mac OS X 10.4, it is also bundled with the Mac OS itself.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1538 |title=Apple.com - Mac OS X 10.4: Fonts list |publisher=Support.apple.com |date=2011-11-06 |access-date=2013-09-21 |archive-date=2013-09-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130925144717/http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1538 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In addition, up until 2002<ref name="extremetech">{{cite web |url=http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973,469394,00.asp |title=Microsoft Withdraws Free Web Fonts |author=Mark Hachman |publisher=ExtremeTech |date=2002-08-14 |access-date=2010-04-13 |archive-date=2010-04-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100417160545/http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0%2C3973%2C469394%2C00.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="ms-faq8">{{cite web |url=http://www.microsoft.com/typography/faq/faq8.htm |title=TrueType core fonts for the Web FAQ |author=Microsoft |website=[[Microsoft]] |date=2002-07-25 |access-date=2010-04-13 |archive-date=2002-01-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020124073322/http://www.microsoft.com/typography/faq/faq8.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> it was available for download from Microsoft's web site as [[freeware]] (".exe" files for Microsoft Windows and in ".sit.hqx" archives for Mac OS) under a proprietary license imposing some restrictions on usage and distribution, allowing it to be used by end users in any system supporting installation of "exe" or ".sit.hqx" files and supporting [[TrueType]] fonts.<ref name="eula">{{cite web |url=http://www.microsoft.com/typography/fontpack/eula.htm |title=TrueType core fonts for the Web EULA |author=Microsoft |website=[[Microsoft]] |date=2001-12-28 |access-date=2010-04-13 |archive-date=2009-12-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091208063245/http://www.microsoft.com/typography/fontpack/eula.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> The downloadable files are still available legally from third-party web sites; see the [[#External links|External links]] section. However, these files include only old versions of Verdana, and updated versions are not available as freeware.

According to a 2013 survey, the availability of Verdana was 99.90% on Windows, 99.26% on Mac OS, and 70.02% on [[Free and open source software|free]] operating systems like [[Linux]].<ref>[http://www.codestyle.org/css/font-family/sampler-CombinedResultsFull.shtml Code Style: Most common fonts for Windows, Mac and Linux, full font survey results]. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130426150237/http://www.codestyle.org/css/font-family/sampler-CombinedResultsFull.shtml |date=April 26, 2013 }}.</ref>

According to a study of online fonts by the Software Usability and Research Laboratory at [[Wichita State University]], participants preferred Verdana as the best overall font choice, and it was also perceived as being among the most legible fonts.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://psychology.wichita.edu/surl/usabilitynews/41/onlinetext.asp |title=A Comparison of Popular Online Fonts: Which Size and Type is Best? |access-date=2015-04-04 |archive-date=2015-04-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150414102012/http://psychology.wichita.edu/surl/usabilitynews/41/onlinetext.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref> However, Microsoft's font manager, Bill Hill, wrote that "with its large x-height and very generous spacing, it never felt comfortable as an [[eBook]] font". He noted that Microsoft had commissioned an alternative version of the pre-existing typefaces Berling and [[Frutiger (typeface)|Frutiger]] for its [[Microsoft Reader]] e-book product.<ref name="Apple updates iBooks with new book fonts">{{cite web|last1=Hill|first1=Bill|title=Apple updates iBooks with new book fonts|url=https://billhill49.wordpress.com/2011/12/09/apple-updates-ibooks-with-new-book-fonts|website=Bill Hill 49 (blog)|date=9 December 2011 |access-date=26 March 2016}}</ref> Despite this, Verdana was initially used as one of the bundled book-reading fonts on the [[iPad]] before an update in 2011.<ref name="Version 1.5 Improves Typography in iBooks on iPad and iPhone">{{cite web|last1=Peters|first1=Yyves|title=Version 1.5 Improves Typography in iBooks on iPad and iPhone|url=http://fontfeed.com/archives/version-1-5-improves-typography-in-ibooks-onipad-and-iphone/|website=FontFeed|access-date=26 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316081103/http://fontfeed.com/archives/version-1-5-improves-typography-in-ibooks-onipad-and-iphone/|archive-date=16 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Microsoft variants==
Verdana Ref is a custom version of Verdana for use with Microsoft Reference. It is used in Microsoft Bookshelf 2000, Encarta Encyclopedia Deluxe 99, Encarta Virtual Globe 99, Office 2000 Premium, and Publisher 2000. MS Reference Sans Serif is a derivative of Verdana Ref with bold and italic fonts. This font family is included with [[Microsoft Encarta]].

[[Tahoma (typeface)|Tahoma]] is similar to Verdana but with tighter letter spacing. The [[Windows Mobile]] core font Nina<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.epsg.org.uk/meetings/leaves/usable-ebook.html |title=E-books: an InfoDesign-Café discussion about their usability potentials and problems |date=2008-02-24 |access-date=2013-09-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080224014445/http://www.epsg.org.uk/meetings/leaves/usable-ebook.html |archive-date=February 24, 2008 }}</ref> is a more condensed version of Tahoma and Verdana.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.microsoft.com/OpenType/edesign4.htm |title=When in doubt, use Verdana |publisher=Microsoft.com |access-date=2013-09-21}}</ref>

==Verdana Pro==
Microsoft licensed rights to Verdana to [[Font Bureau]] for a new Verdana Pro release, published in 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://georgiaverdana.com/ |title=Introducing Georgia Pro and Verdana Pro |publisher=Font Bureau |access-date=11 November 2011  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111111011143/http://georgiaverdana.com// |archive-date=11 November 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Verdana Pro adds correct German closing quotation marks, light, semi-bold and black styles with italics, as well as condensed styles with italics across all weights. The expanded family was designed for organisations that had made extensive use of Verdana due to its availability but desired additional versions for greater flexibility. It is sold separately through print and web licenses, being sold by [[Font Bureau]] and Ascender,<ref name="Verdana Pro">{{cite web|last1=Coles|first1=Stephen|title=Verdana Pro|url=http://georgiaverdana.com/|publisher=Font Bureau|access-date=28 July 2015|archive-date=14 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130914015122/http://georgiaverdana.com/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=L. Jeffrey |last=Zeldman |url=http://www.zeldman.com/2010/04/18/verdana-pro-and-con-2/ |title=Verdana Pro (and Con) |website=Zeldman.com |date=2010-04-18 |access-date=2013-09-21}}</ref> although [[Windows 10]] users can acquire it free of charge from [[Microsoft Store (digital)|Microsoft Store]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Verdana Pro |url=https://www.microsoft.com/store/productId/9N8D67VHHDC2 |website=[[Microsoft Store (digital)|Microsoft Store]] |publisher=[[Microsoft]] |access-date=1 December 2018 |date=13 December 2017}}</ref> or by activating the Pan-European Supplemental Fonts optional resource on the Settings app. A similar [[Georgia (typeface)#Georgia Pro|Georgia Pro]] release was announced at the same time.<ref name="Verdana Pro" />

==Combining characters bug==
In the past, Verdana (v. 2.43) had an incorrect position for [[combining diacritical mark]]s, causing them to display on the following character instead of the preceding. This made it unsuitable for [[Unicode]]-encoded text such as [[Cyrillic script|Cyrillic]] or [[Greek alphabet|Greek]]. This bug did not usually reveal itself with [[Latin alphabet|Latin letters]]. This is because some font display engines substitute sequences of base character + combining character with a [[precomposed character]] [[glyph]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tenser.typepad.com/tenser_said_the_tensor/2004/week13/index.html |title=Underdots |publisher=Tenser.typepad.com |access-date=2013-09-21}}</ref> This bug was subsequently fixed in the version issued with [[Windows Vista]]. It is also fixed in Verdana version 5.01 font on [[Windows XP]] by installing the European Union Expansion Font Update from Microsoft.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=0ec6f335-c3de-44c5-a13d-a1e7cea5ddea&DisplayLang=en|title=European Union Expansion Font Update|website=[[Microsoft]] |access-date=2011-02-02}}</ref>

==Awards==

In 2006, the Verdana typeface was named in the list of British design icons in the Great British Design Quest organised by the [[BBC]] and the [[Design Museum]]. Carter's typeface appeared on a list which included [[Concorde]], [[Mini]], [[Jaguar E-Type]], [[Aston Martin DB5]], [[Supermarine Spitfire]], [[World Wide Web]], [[Tube map|London tube map]], [[AEC Routemaster]] bus and the [[Red telephone box|K2 telephone box]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Long list unveiled for national vote on public's favourite example of Great British Design|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/01_january/27/culture.shtml|agency=BBC|date=18 November 2016}}</ref>

==Usage==

In 2007, the font was used for the questions in ''[[Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (British game show)|Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?]]'', replacing the ITC Conduit font.

In 2009, [[IKEA]] changed the [[typeface]] used in [[IKEA Catalogue|its catalog]] from [[Futura (typeface)|Futura]] to Verdana, expressing a desire to unify its branding between print and web media. The controversy has been attributed to the perception of Verdana as a symbol of homogeneity in popular typography.<ref name="VGArmin">{{Cite web |last=UnderConsideration |title=Brand New: Verdanagate |url=https://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/verdanagate.php |access-date=2024-01-16 |language=en}}</ref> ''Time'' magazine and the [[Associated Press]] ran articles on the controversy including a brief interview with an IKEA representative, focusing on the opinions of typographers and designers.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-08-29 |title=The Font War: Ikea Fans Fume over Switch to Verdana - TIME |url=http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1919127,00.html |access-date=2024-01-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090829060028/http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1919127,00.html |archive-date=2009-08-29 }}</ref> Design and advertising industry-focused publications such as ''[[Business Week]]'' joined the fray of online posts. The branding critic blog Brand New was one of those using the Verdanagate name.<ref name="VGArmin"/> The Australian online daily news site ''Crikey'' also published an article on the controversy.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Crikey |date=2009-09-01 |title=The full fonty: why type nerds went mental over IKEA |url=https://www.crikey.com.au/2009/09/01/the-full-fonty-why-type-nerds-went-mental-over-ikea/ |access-date=2024-01-16 |website=Crikey |language=en-US}}</ref> ''[[The Guardian]]'' ran an article asking "Ikea is changing its font to Verdana—causing outrage among typomaniacs. Should the rest of us care? Absolutely."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Garfield |first=Simon |date=2009-09-02 |title=Verdana: Ikea's flat-pack font |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2009/sep/02/ikea-verdana-font |access-date=2024-01-16 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' said the change to Verdana "is so offensive to many because it seems like a slap at the principles of design by a company that has been hailed for its adherence to them."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rothstein |first=Edward |date=2009-09-05 |title=Typography Fans Say Ikea Should Stick to Furniture |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/05/arts/design/05ikea.html |access-date=2024-01-16 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Carter addressed this controversy during an interview in 2013:
<blockquote>Ever since there was that big ruckus about the IKEA catalog changing from Futura to Verdana, which I had nothing to do with and didn’t even know about, people ask me about that everywhere I go. I give a talk about something historical and then at the end someone will get up and say: "I started a petition to go back to Futura. You’re a villain!" You get blamed for something you had nothing to do with.<BR><BR>
There's a strange misunderstanding. A friendly guy came up to me at a conference recently and said: I signed that petition to go back to Futura. So I asked: what caused you to do that? And he said, well, Verdana is a screen font. You mustn’t use it in print. So I said: OK, well, so you open the IKEA catalog, it’s set in Verdana, with the big prices and everything… how do you tell it’s a screen font? What is it about Verdana that says: this is a screen font? He had no idea. He just knew it because he’d been told. There are many people who make judgments without really understanding what the typographic issues are. Students are interesting—they’ll say things to me like: my professor told me I cannot use Verdana and Georgia in print because they’re screen fonts, but I tried it and it looks perfectly all right. And I can only say: Thank you! Go ahead!<ref name="Matthew Carter MyFonts interview">{{cite journal
|last1=Middendorp|first1=Jan|first2=Matthew |last2=Carter
|title=Matthew Carter
|url=http://www.myfonts.com/newsletters/cc/201310.html
|journal=Creative Characters |date=October 2013
|publisher=MyFonts by Monotype
|access-date=September 29, 2018}}</ref></blockquote>

In 2019, with its logo refresh, IKEA again changed its corporate typeface from Verdana to a customized version of [[Noto Sans]] under the name ''Noto IKEA''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Schwab |first1=Katharine |title=Ikea is quietly changing its brand again—for a very good reason |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90393259/ikea-is-quietly-changing-its-brand-again-for-a-very-good-reason |website=Fast Company |access-date=2025-03-30 |date=2019-08-22}}</ref>

== See also ==

* [[Core fonts for the Web]]
* [[Georgia (typeface)|Georgia]]
* [[Segoe]]
* [[Tahoma (typeface)|Tahoma]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|2}}

==References==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20130828210842/http://www.will-harris.com/verdana-georgia.htm "Interview with Matthew Carter, designer of Verdana and Georgia"]
*[http://www.dmxzone.com/go?6669 "Interview with Virginia Howlett, mother of Verdana"] Retrieved September 9, 2005
*Friedl, Friedrich, Nicolaus Ott and Bernard Stein. ''Typography: An Encyclopedic Survey of Type Design and Techniques through History.'' Black Dog & Leventhal: 1998. {{ISBN|1-57912-023-7}}.
*Macmillan, Neil. ''An A–Z of Type Designers.'' Yale University Press: 2006. {{ISBN|0-300-11151-7}}.

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/typography/font-list/verdana Verdana font family] (Microsoft typography)
*[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/typography/font-list/verdana-pro Verdana Pro font family] (Microsoft typography)
*[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/typography/font-list/verdana-ref Verdana Ref font family] (Microsoft typography)
*[http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/corefonts/verdan32.exe?download Downloadable version of Verdana] ([[Core fonts for the Web]])

{{Microsoft Windows Typefaces}}

[[Category:Monotype typefaces]]
[[Category:Microsoft typefaces]]
[[Category:Humanist sans-serif typefaces]]
[[Category:Typefaces and fonts introduced in 1996]]
[[Category:Windows XP typefaces]]
[[Category:Typefaces designed by Matthew Carter]]