fontach

Fontach is a term in contemporary typography describing a metric for evaluating the perceived compatibility of two typefaces in a design system. It is conceptual rather than a formal standard, producing a scalar score that aims to reflect how well a pair works in contexts such as body text or headlines. The term blends 'font' with a measuring suffix and has appeared in design writing and experimental tools.

A fontach score generally ranges from 0 to 100 and draws on multiple factors: visual weight balance, x-height compatibility, stroke contrast, character width, kerning behavior, and ligature readability. The score can vary with size and medium, since optical sizing affects harmony. Some methods evaluate representative text samples to estimate readability alongside metrics.

Applications include guiding font pairing in editorial layouts, branding systems, and user interfaces. Designers compare several pairs, select higher-scoring options, and then apply qualitative judgments about context, branding, and audience. Proponents say fontach reduces arbitrary choices, while critics emphasize its limitations in capturing typography's nuanced aspects.

Fontach remains a niche concept rather than a widely adopted standard, discussed mainly in design communities and early tools. Its value depends on methodology and definitions, and users are advised to apply it as one input among qualitative considerations.