Using Serif Fonts in UI & Screen Design with José Scaglione from TypeTogether

🎙 This conversation in audio only + see the described typefaces here: https://pimpmytype.com/talk01 I’m joined by wonderful José Scaglione. He is a type designer, lecturer, and co-founder of the high renown foundry TypeTogether, which is behind popular typefaces like Bree or Adelle. They worked with top brands, like Apple and Google, where they also contributed serif typefaces for screen rendering. And this is why I invited José – to discuss with him the predominance of sans-serif in user interfaces and screen design more broadly. We speak about, why it might be a legacy issue, and that moving out of your comfort zone can be very rewarding. It brings us to legibility, readability, and accessibility. José also shares how he experienced the switch from static fonts to variable fonts as a type designer and foundry. If you struggle with pairing typefaces, this episode also has some tips for you. 💌 Newsletter with weekly font recommendations https://pimpmytype.com/newsletter Talking points 00:00 Introduction 02:39 Greeting to José Scaglione 03:36 Is the font in the TypeTogether logo overused? 06:01 Don’t use tabular figures on business cards 07:27 Benefits of learning about typography 09:49 Why is sans-serif dominant in UIs? 13:02 Legibility, regardless of sans or serif 15:34 Why are neo-grotesques so popular? 17:08 Arguments against neutrality & Helvetica 18:57 Portada: A serif typeface for UI design 20:39 Complexity of printing vs screen 24:30 Variable fonts and optical sizing 27:57 Variable fonts and file size 29:37 Do you need the design space of VF? 31:31 Belarius: Slab serifs in UI design 35:40 Accessibility and typography 42:38 Advice for typography newbies 43:20 Tips on pairing typefaces 45:26 Rapid Round of questions 47:11 Goodbye 48:18 Summary