fontStyle

Fontstyle is a term used in typography to describe the styling of the glyphs in a typeface. It encompasses normal, italic, and oblique forms. In digital typography and web design, font-style is implemented as a property that selects how the characters are slanted or angled, affecting the appearance of text within a document or page.

In typography, italic and oblique are distinct concepts. An italic face is a separate font variant with its own designed letterforms, created by the type designer to convey emphasis or a particular tone. An oblique face is typically a mechanically slanted version of the regular type, with the same letter shapes but angled. Some fonts provide only normal and italic styles, while others offer oblique as an additional option. In CSS, font-style accepts normal, italic, or oblique, and some user agents may synthesize an oblique style if an italic face is unavailable.

Common uses for font-style include emphasis within body text, marking foreign words or phrases, and distinguishing certain elements such as book or journal titles in specific style guides. Readability and accessibility considerations apply: overuse of italics can hinder legibility, and the appearance of italic or oblique text may vary across platforms and fonts.

In practice, font-style interacts with other typographic properties such as font-family, font-weight, and text-decoration. When selecting fonts for a document or website, designers consider whether an appropriate italic or oblique variant is available and how its use aligns with overall typography goals and cross-platform consistency.