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Verdana

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description Verdana Overview

Verdana is a humanist sans-serif typeface designed by Matthew Carter in 1996 for Microsoft. Commissioned specifically to address the limitations of early computer screens, it features large x-heights, wide spacing, and distinct character shapes to ensure legibility at small sizes. The typeface was a core component of Microsoft's early web font initiative and quickly became a standard choice for web design. Its robust construction makes it highly readable on both digital displays and low-resolution printing.

help Verdana FAQ

Who designed Verdana, and why was it created?

Matthew Carter designed Verdana for Microsoft, with screen hinting by Thomas Rickner. Released in 1996, it was shaped to remain readable at the small pixel sizes common on early computer displays.

Why does Verdana look larger than Arial at the same point size?

Verdana has a large x-height, broad letterforms, and generous internal spacing. Those choices make lowercase text appear larger and more open than Arial set at the same nominal size.

What is the difference between Verdana and Georgia?

Both were commissioned by Microsoft and designed by Matthew Carter for screen readability. Verdana is a sans-serif face, while Georgia uses serifs and has forms suited to traditional body text.

Is Verdana included on Windows and the web?

Verdana became a standard Microsoft system font and was distributed through the Core Fonts for the Web program. Websites often specify it with fallbacks such as Arial and a generic sans-serif font.

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