Microsoft

Microsoft has made significant contributions to typography, particularly in developing fonts optimized for screen display. Their investment in type has influenced how billions of people read text on computers every day.

ClearType and Screen Typography

Microsoft's ClearType technology, introduced in Windows XP, dramatically improved font rendering on LCD screens. This innovation made reading on screens more comfortable and enabled new typeface designs optimized for subpixel rendering.

Core Web Fonts

In the late 1990s, Microsoft released the Core fonts for the Web, including Verdana and Georgia, as free downloads. These fonts were specifically designed for screen legibility and became ubiquitous on the early web.

Notable Typefaces

Microsoft has commissioned several influential fonts:

• Verdana - Matthew Carter's sans-serif designed for screen clarity
• Georgia - A serif counterpart to Verdana, elegant on screens
• Consolas - A modern monospace font optimized for ClearType
• Segoe UI - The Windows system font since Vista

Verdana's Impact

Verdana, designed by Matthew Carter in 1996, was revolutionary for its screen optimization. Its wide letterforms and generous spacing made it exceptionally readable at small sizes, influencing web design for decades.

Open Source Contributions

Microsoft has released several fonts as open source, including Cascadia Code (a programming font with ligatures) and contributed to the development of the OpenType specification with Adobe.