A font style is a variation within a typeface, shaped by properties such as weight, width, slant, spacing, or serif treatment. Styles create contrast and hierarchy without requiring a completely unrelated typeface. section 5.2.3
Use font styles sparingly so contrast supports comprehension rather than turning the page into a typographic costume party:
- Start with one font size and one style when a clean, uniform, business-like appearance fits the audience. section 5.2.3
- Add one contrasting style when the design needs more interest, such as a bolder title or a slightly larger serif heading. section 5.2.3
- Keep related styles within one large typeface family when possible; similar x-heights and counter shapes help them blend. section 5.2.3
- Use lighter color, smaller size, or another restrained difference to deemphasize annotations and supporting text. section 5.2.3
Italics are more than tilted letters
Italic is a slanted style designed to create emphasis. True italics are drawn with distinct letterforms, while obliques are tilted versions of the upright form, usually with small balance corrections. section 5.1.5
Figure 5.18 Instead of using a bolded sans serif font on the title, we changed it to the serif version of Roboto, Roboto Serif, in regular weight and made it just a smidge larger. Notice how it contrasts with the rest of the text by only a little, just enough to set it apart, but because we stayed within the Roboto family, the two styles blend harmoniously.
Compare regular Roboto body text with a slightly larger Roboto Serif title: the styles contrast gently while remaining visually related. section 5.2.3
