Fontsets

Fontsets, also known as font families or font collections, are groupings of related fonts that are designed to be used together. These sets typically include different weights, styles, and sometimes variations of a single typeface, allowing for consistent and harmonious typographic design. For example, a fontset for a serif font might include regular, italic, bold, and bold italic versions.

The purpose of using fontsets is to provide designers with a comprehensive toolkit for a particular typeface, ensuring that all elements in a design maintain a cohesive look and feel. This consistency is crucial for branding, readability, and aesthetic appeal. By employing different weights and styles from the same fontset, designers can create visual hierarchy, emphasize key information, and add depth to their layouts without sacrificing visual unity.

Fontsets are often developed by type foundries or individual type designers who meticulously craft each variation to complement the others. The common design characteristics, such as stroke endings, x-height, and serif styles, are preserved across the different styles within a fontset, ensuring a harmonious relationship. This allows for a smooth transition between different typographic treatments, such as using a lighter weight for body text and a bolder weight for headings. The availability of well-designed fontsets simplifies the design process and elevates the overall quality of typographic applications.