Google has released a new version of its Roboto font, Roboto Serif, which reintroduces serif. The most recent font was created in collaboration with Commercial Type’s Greg Gazdowicz to create an improved version of the Roboto Sans typeface.
According to Google UX manager Rob Giampietro, the new font features newly drawn letters that “think about Roboto, but is a new and original design.” The new font retains the same vertical proportions as Roboto Sans, combining serif and sans-serif into a single design.
Serif fonts are known for their simplicity and distinct letter shapes, making them easier to read. Google’s newest typeface expands on the benefit of being a variable font that can be optimised for different-sized displays.
After years of minimalist sans-serif dominance, chunkier, retro-styled serif typefaces will be reintroduced with a bang, according to Vox.
For over a decade, Google has used the Roboto font. The font was first introduced as the default font in Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). Roboto has gone through several transformations since then.
Product Sans, Google’s primary font, has gradually supplanted Roboto across a variety of products.
Roboto Serif will be added to Google Fonts as a variant of the Roboto open-source font family for the time being.
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