Roboto
Encyclopedia
Roboto is a sans-serif typeface family introduced with Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich" operating system.
Google describes the font as "modern, yet approachable" and "emotional".
by Christian Robertson, an interface designer for Google, who previously had designed the Ubuntu
Titling Font through his personal type foundry betatype.
, called it "Google's Arial
" due to perceived similarities with Helvetica
.
Stephen Coles, former Type Director at FontShop
, criticized the font for being an unattractive imitation of Helvetica
and other typefaces including Myriad
and Univers
, calling it "a Four-headed Frankenfont".
Google describes the font as "modern, yet approachable" and "emotional".
Development
The font was designed entirely in-house at GoogleGoogle
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
by Christian Robertson, an interface designer for Google, who previously had designed the Ubuntu
Ubuntu (operating system)
Ubuntu is a computer operating system based on the Debian Linux distribution and distributed as free and open source software. It is named after the Southern African philosophy of Ubuntu...
Titling Font through his personal type foundry betatype.
Reception
Reception of the font has been mixed. Joshua Topolsky, at The Verge, describes the font as "clean and modern, but not overly futuristic — not a science fiction font" ,while John Gruber, of Daring FireballDaring Fireball
Daring Fireball is the web site of John Gruber, an Apple enthusiast and writer. Daring Fireball hosts Gruber's opinions in the form of a blog, and also some of Gruber's software...
, called it "Google's Arial
Arial
Arial, sometimes marketed or displayed in software as Arial MT, is a sans-serif typeface and set of computer fonts. Fonts from the Arial family are packaged with Microsoft Windows, some other Microsoft software applications, Apple Mac OS X and many PostScript 3 computer printers...
" due to perceived similarities with Helvetica
Helvetica
Helvetica is a widely used sans-serif typeface developed in 1957 by Swiss typeface designer Max Miedinger with Eduard Hoffmann.-Visual distinctive characteristics:Characteristics of this typeface are:lower case:square dot over the letter i....
.
Stephen Coles, former Type Director at FontShop
FontShop
FontShop was founded in Berlin in 1989 by Erik Spiekermann and Joan Spiekermann, who were then husband and wife, and Neville Brody. FontShop was the first font reseller in digital type history. There are four independent FontShops in Austria, Benelux, Germany, and the USA.FSI FontShop International...
, criticized the font for being an unattractive imitation of Helvetica
Helvetica
Helvetica is a widely used sans-serif typeface developed in 1957 by Swiss typeface designer Max Miedinger with Eduard Hoffmann.-Visual distinctive characteristics:Characteristics of this typeface are:lower case:square dot over the letter i....
and other typefaces including Myriad
Myriad (typeface)
Myriad is a humanist sans-serif typeface designed by Robert Slimbach and Carol Twombly for Adobe Systems. The typeface is best known for its usage by Apple Inc., replacing Apple Garamond as Apple's corporate font since 2002. Myriad is easily distinguished from other sans-serif fonts due to its...
and Univers
Univers
Univers is the name of a realist sans-serif typeface designed by Adrian Frutiger in 1954.Originally conceived and released by Deberny & Peignot in 1957, the type library was acquired in 1972 by Haas. Haas'sche Schriftgiesserei was later folded into the D...
, calling it "a Four-headed Frankenfont".