Microsoft: Introducing Aptos, our modern successor to Calibri

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https://medium.com/microsoft-design/a-change-of-typeface-microsofts-new-default-font-has-arrived-f200eb16718d

Dear every human on earth that’s ever typed text,

For 15 years, our beloved Calibri was Microsoft’s default font and crown keeper of office communications, but as you know, our relationship has come to a natural end. We changed. The technology we use every day has changed. And so, our search of the perfect font for higher resolution screens began. The font needed to have sharpness, uniformity, and be great for display type. It was exciting at times, but also intimidating. How do you replace Calibri? How do you find that one true font that can take its place as the rightful default?..

Today we begin the final phase of this major change where Aptos will start appearing as the new default font across Word, Outlook, PowerPoint and Excel for hundreds of millions of users. And, over the next few months it will roll out to be the default for all our customers. We can’t wait for Aptos to be readily available since it was crafted to embody the many aspects of the human experience…

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Aptos is not yet available for PC downloads for those of us who do not use Office 365.

See this Microsoft article.

BATcher

Plethora means a lot to me.

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Never liked Calibri and changed all my Office apps default to Tahoma long ago. I hope this update doesn’t mess with my changes to the default templates. I wonder how Microsoft is going to change the default Font without messing with users’ modifications to the default templates such as Normal.dotm.

Why does Microsoft’s announcements of “improvements” always give me this feeling of impending trouble rather joyful glee?

HTH, Dana:))

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oldfry, Cybertooth, PKCano

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O Lord, not another sans serif face chosen for the default font!

Though the article describes sans serif faces as “easily readable,” over the years I’ve seen studies concluding that it’s actually serif faces (such as Times Roman) that are easier to read. Those little tails and stems at the tips of the letters help to lead the eye to the next letter, especially in long (wide) lines of text.

BTW, was this Medium article written by AI? There is some definite nonsense in there, such as the reference to “subtle circular squares within the letters’ contours”. Circular squares? But the biggest howler is how the designer is said to have wanted this font to have “the astute tone of The Late Show host Stephen Colbert”. Pray tell, how does a typeface possess (let alone convey) an “astute tone”???

Finally, the byline at the top the piece says “Si Daniels”, but then the signature at the end says “Microsoft”. Which is it? And curiously, clicking on Daniels’s name leads to an author page that reports that “Si Daniels hasn’t written any stories yet.”

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If it’s the same Si Daniels from Microsoft Typography (as was), it was he with whom I corresponded by email in the days of Windows NT 3.51 and 95-98 (1998-ish), when the euro symbol € was being introduced into all their fonts.  He was a truly excellent and helpful chap.

[Unless I’ve mis-remembered, of course!]

BATcher

Plethora means a lot to me.

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Cybertooth wrote:

“Si Daniels”

Si Daniels
6 Followers
Principal Program Manager for fonts and Typography, Microsoft Office Design. Formerly Senior Lead PM for fonts and icons, Microsoft Operating Systems Group.

https://atypi.org/speaker/si-daniels/

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Drcard:)) wrote:

Why does Microsoft’s announcements of “improvements” always give me this feeling of impending trouble rather joyful glee?

History and Experience!

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