In a recent blog post, Microsoft announced the end of an era for their beloved Calibri font, which has been the default font for Microsoft Office for the past 15 years. As technology has evolved and higher resolution screens have become the norm, Microsoft recognized the need for a new font that would embody sharpness, uniformity, and excellence in display type. And thus began the search for the perfect successor to Calibri.
Aptos strikes the perfect balance between professionalism and relatability
Microsoft commissioned five new fonts: Bierstadt, Grandview, Seaford, Skeena, and Tenorite, with the hope that one of them would become the new default font for Microsoft 365. After listening to user feedback, Microsoft chose Bierstadt as the font that resonated most with users. However, there was a change, and Bierstadt has now been renamed Aptos.
Aptos was created by Steve Matteson, a renowned type designer known for his work on the original Windows TrueType core fonts and Segoe. Steve drew inspiration from the landscape and climate of Aptos, an unincorporated town in Santa Cruz, California. The font reflects the versatility of its namesake, evoking the outdoors and the timeless appeal of pencil and paper.
Aptos, a sans serif font with elements of mid-20th-century Swiss typography, features clean-cut stem ends and subtle circular squares within the letters’ contours, enhancing legibility at small sizes. With different font weights and distinctive characteristics such as a lowercase “l” with a tail and circular dots for the heads of “i” and “j,” Aptos strikes a balance between professionalism and relatability.
Steve aimed to imbue the font with a touch of warmth and humanity, making it more engaging and trustworthy for readers. His design process starts with pencil and paper to preserve the handmade craftsmanship before digitization, ensuring that no nuances are lost in the transition from analog to digital.
While Aptos will now be the default font across Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Excel for millions of users, Microsoft acknowledges that fonts are personal choices. Therefore, they provide options like Times New Roman, Arial, and the other font contenders—Grandview, Seaford, Skeena, and Tenorite—for users to choose from. The new font is part of Microsoft’s broader wave of features aimed at making Microsoft 365 more expressive and inclusive.
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(Via)
