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)

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Xiaomi keeps on updating its MIUI operating system for its smartphones at regular intervals and now the Chinese giant is gearing up to launch the MIUI 13 based on the Android 12 operating system later this month.

The new MIUI is expected to go official on 28th December but ahead of the launch, a leak has revealed the new Mi Sans font that the company will be using in MIUI 13.

A new leak showcases the Mi Sans as well as the Mi Prototype 210317 fonts used in the upcoming MIUI 13 operating system. These new fonts will replace the Mi Lan Pro VF (Little Milan Pavilion Pro VF) font that is currently used by Xiaomi.

From the leak, it appears that the new fonts have more rounded texts with smoother lines when compared to the current font, giving it a modern look. Further, it is revealed that the font contains two special characters — the Xiaomi logo and the MIUI logo.

Do note that the new Mi Sans font that Xiaomi will be using in the MIUI 13 is different from the ones that are available in the current version. The Mi Lan Pro VF fonts have been in use since MIUI 11 and with the MIUI 12.5, the company just renamed the same font to Mi Sans to prepare for the upcoming major change.

As of now, there’s not much known about what specifically the company is upgrading in the upcoming version of MIUI but we expect some major changes in terms of revamped design and addition of new features. Xiaomi is also set to get rid of some of the existing features, including Screen On Time and Weather Super Wallpaper.

In related news, a list of smartphones from the company set to be the first ones to receive the new update has leaked online. The list includes premium phones like Mi 11 Ultra, Redmi K40 Pro, and others as well as the mid-range Mi 11 Youth Edition.

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