Identifont

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Identifont
FoundedNovember 2000; 23 years ago (2000-11)
FounderDavid Johnson-Davies Edit this on Wikidata
HeadquartersCambridge, England, United Kingdom
Websitewww.identifont.com

The Identifont web site is an online directory of typefaces, with main function a tool to help identify a font from a sample.[1] It has been described as the largest Internet directory of typefaces.[2]

Identifont may be used to find a font similar to a given one.[3] It also allows potential purchasers to make comparisons of typeface specifications.[4]

Identifont has an index of years from 1470 to 2021 and describes the most popular font of each year.[5]

History[edit]

The site was launched in 2000, and was designed by computer scientist David Johnson-Davies based on AI techniques.[6] Research on its application by graphic design students was published in 2006.[7]

Identification technique[edit]

The site enables the user to identify typefaces by walking through a series of questions.[8] The principle of identification is to use distinctive features of given letters, and the site returns the designer and manufacturer of the font, as well as the name.[9][10] Technically it is an application of the Common Lisp Hypermedia Server.[11][12] The service is used as licensed technology on Fonts.com[13] and linotype.com.[14]

The same principles have been applied to Japanese typefaces.[15]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Terry Rydberg (13 June 2012). Exploring Adobe InDesign CS6. Cengage Learning. p. 59. ISBN 978-1-285-40257-4.
  2. ^ Kelly Senyei (8 March 2012). Food Blogging For Dummies. John Wiley & Sons. p. 145. ISBN 978-1-118-23938-4.
  3. ^ "Finding similar fonts using Identifont and Typekit". Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  4. ^ Jason Tselentis; Allan Haley; Richard Poulin; Tony Seddon; Gerry Leonidas; Ina Saltz; Kathryn Henderson; Tyler Alterman (1 February 2012). Typography, Referenced: A Comprehensive Visual Guide to the Language, History, and Practice of Typography. Rockport Publishers. p. 141. ISBN 978-1-61058-205-6.
  5. ^ "Identifont - Years". www.identifont.com.
  6. ^ "Fun With Fonts–Identifont typeface identification and search — The Book Designer". Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  7. ^ "An Online Font Library: Evaluation by Graphic Design Students". The Electronic Library. doi:10.1108/02640470610714215.
  8. ^ "How to Identify the Name of a Font [Quick Tip]". Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  9. ^ Yateendra Joshi (1 January 2003). Communicating in Style. TERI Press. p. 227. ISBN 978-81-7993-016-8.
  10. ^ Terry Rydberg (24 June 2010). Exploring Adobe InDesign CS5. Cengage Learning. p. 59. ISBN 978-1-111-13032-9.
  11. ^ "About Identifont - How Identifont works". Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  12. ^ "Faculty Instructional Technology Center". mtweb.mtsu.edu. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  13. ^ "Search by Sight". Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  14. ^ "Linotype Font Finder - FontIdentifier". Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  15. ^ "www.identifont.jp, About Identifont". Retrieved 6 November 2014.