Tahoma | Type Set
Tahoma is the last of the trilogy of bitmap based typefaces by Matthew Carter. Released in 1994, Tahoma was the default font across all of Windows 2000 and XP. A humanist sans-serif typeface, much like its sister font Verdana, that was made for on-screen display. The strengths of Tahoma lie in its use as a menu and interface typeface. Let’s find out what makes the typeface a standout.
Origins of Tahoma
Calling Tahoma a bitmap font is a bit of a misnomer. It is true that Tahoma started as a bitmap however, Carter expertly wove truetype outlines around these bitmaps. Tahoma features similarities to another one of Carter’s fonts called Bell Centennial. It is also often compared with Frutiger. Tahoma is a humanist sans-serif typeface.
Modern humanist san-serif fonts are quite the mouthful of a descriptor but let’s break it down. In the 1970s the humanist movement was revived in type design in reaction to the rise of neo-grotesque fonts. Helvetica had taken over and was now falling fast. Looking to calligraphy and traditional serifs for the answer, humanism flourished over its neo-grotesque counterparts.
Angled and organic flared contrasting strokes, almost as if written by man, help define the humanist san-serif. Tahoma showcases these influences in the lowercase a, e, g, and r, to name a few. Tahoma also contains the Roman influence around humanism in its lowercase double-storied a, however interestingly doesn’t in its g. Generous proportions and looser spacing separate the typeface from the likes of Helvetica. Just like in Georgia, similar shaped letters have clear design differences.
Its design predates Verdana in that it was created first. The need for extended text settings alterations were made which led to the birth of Verdana.
Analysis of Tahoma
What makes Tahoma optimized for use in UI design? Tahoma’s readability comes from a number of factors that are listed below.
X-Height and Cap Height
In order to be legible at small sizes on screens the x-height must be large. Tahoma also features an average cap height for san-serif typefaces.
Counters
The counters in Tahoma are large as well, allowing for the ability to easily distinguish characters at low resolution. Looking at the letter c or s for example we see a large partially-closed counter that makes up a majority of the form as compared to its medium aperture to offer readability in the complexity of the form.
Tracking
Tahoma’s tracking, or space between each letter is average. Its kerning is spacious allowing for low resolution computer screens to show high levels of readability.
Bold
Tahoma only has a bold weight officially licensed through Microsoft. Created by adding a whole pixel to the forms, Tahoma Bold is bolder than most other fonts.
Italic & Small Caps
As stated above, Tahoma only has a bold weight, or had rather. Starting in 2010 Ascender Corporation based out of Chicago currently offers italic and small caps versions of Tahoma. Tom Rickner, a founding partner of Ascender, was the original hand hinter of the typeface.
Uses of Tahoma
Designed primarily for use with menu text on low-resolution screens, Tahoma is not limited to the computer of yesteryear.
Compatible Font Pairings
Tahoma pairs well with almost any serif font of a similar width and x-height, but isn’t limited to these restrictions.
Palatino
Another serif font option is Palatino. Based on old style design, Palatino offers a low x-height, larger ascenders and descenders. Originally offered as a headline font, Palatino transitioned into also being a body copy typeface. While some of its characters needed to be redesigned, Palatino does work in print as a body typeface. Due to this flexibility, Palatino is one of the ten most popular serif typefaces. Using Tahoma with Palatino keeps with our idea of pairing a sans-serif with a serif typeface.
Bahnschrift
A digitization of 1931’s DIN 1451 from the German Institute of Standardization, 2017’s Bahnschrift is a sans-serif option to pair with Tahoma. Renowned for its legibility and simplicity, DIN 1451 was created for use with road signs and other implementations, but has since outgrown them. Microsoft initially started development on a version in 2013, however through a partnership between Google, Apple, Adobe and Microsoft, a standardized version of DIN was born. Digitized by Aaron Bell of Saja Typeworks, Bahnschrift is a variable typeface.
Breaking our serif and san-serif pairing we need to find a serif that looks similar, but not too similar. Varying the weight of the font is another good way to bring in contrast between the two fonts.
Delicious Yellow
A script option to pair with Tahoma is a font called Delicious Yellow. Owned by VP Creative Shop and listed as a hand drawn script, Delicious Yellow offers a clean, yet charming typeface. Pairing Tahoma as a body or headline font with the subheading in Delicious Yellow is a modern take on font pairings.
Alternative Font Options to Tahoma
Verdana
As covered earlier in the article, Verdana was also created by Matthew Carter during the same time period. Tahoma came about due to the need for extended characters and was bundled with Georgia and Verdana in Windows 95. Verdana’s characters are longer in width. Verdana also has higher kerning and tracking than its counterpart which has led many to believe that it is to the detriment of the aesthetics for the sake of readability.
Open Sans
Another humanist sans-serif typeface alternative is Open Sans. Created in 2010 and available in more options, Open Sans is a great alternative or even pairing depending on the design.
Basic Sans
Our last substitute to Tahoma is a typeface known as Basic Sans. Created by Latinotype’s Daniel Hernández in 2016, Basic Sans is a Grotesque sans-serif typeface. The typeface itself is rounded and comes in seven weights.
Conclusion
Created as a solution to on-screen UI design, Tahoma is a popular choice for many UI/UX designers. It offers a clean style for straightforward direction and communication and is acceptable for all mediums.
