The Future of Web Typography

Typography on the web is in it's infancy, until now our options for typefaces have been very limited to say the least. With @font-face picking up a lot of speed I can't help thinking we run the risk of being like kids in a sweet shop and picking every bit of available type we can get our hands on just because it's there.

Despite having the choice, a part of me can't help wondering whether these tired old typefaces are ready to be left behind. You don't have to look far to find some amazing examples of typography using these "web-safe" fonts. When I see such creativity with very few or even a single typeface, it inspires me try taking a fresh look at these familiar friends and see what I can find.

On the other hand...

...you don't have to look far to find inspiring uses of typography made possible by @font-face. It's hardly surprising there's been such a boom, @font-face has been around for a long time we've just not really been able to use it. It's been like standing outside the aforementioned sweet shop waiting for the doors to finally open and let us in to the treats inside.

The only thing that worries me is that because there is already a wide choice available, designers may get used to having a range of typefaces for every design concept and forget to take a step back from time to time and look at the older typefaces to still try and challenge themselves by finding new uses for them.

Don't get me wrong, I think @font-face is great and as you can see I've been playing with it myself, I just hope it's considered carefully and used in moderation.