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Type For Maps, my e-book on typography
Typefaces for Cartography Annotation – Part 2
Typefaces for Cartography Annotation – Part 3
This post is the first in a series and is inspired by a thread on typophile where typefaces that look good in cartographic annotation are discussed. Some of the typefaces recommended on that thread are shown here.
For cartographic labeling, we are usually interested in using typefaces that are legible at small sizes and that have a variety of fonts. By variety of fonts, I mean that it contains options like: boldface, oblique, reverse-oblique, small caps and so on. A typeface with a variety of fonts is helpful in that it can be used to produce a map with a rich label hierarchy that still looks unified.
To be legible at small sizes it is important that the letters be compact, have short ascenders and descenders, and have a fairly even line-weight. Something like this font, called Grassy, will not be a wise choice, for example…
With those ideals in mind, here are a few typefaces that you may want to consider in your next mapping project. All are in 16pt:
GARAMOND you likely have already heard of this font, a serif with a lot of history.
CISALPIN a relatively new font created specifically for cartography for legibility at small sizes. It only has five varieties, however, and they cost $54.00 each. You can find it here.
GILL SANS created in 1926 and fairly classic looking.
VENUS MAGER compact with some added height. You can find it here.
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