FF Meta Pro OpenType Font: A Humanist Sans-Serif Alternative to Helvetica
Web Typography: How to Install and Use FF Meta Font Family
Typography is the art and technique of arranging and styling text on a website, and it can have a significant impact on the readability, usability, and aesthetics of your web pages. In this article, I will guide you through some of the best practices for using typography in web design, and show you how to install and use a popular font family called FF Meta.
FF Meta Pro OpenType .zip
How to install OpenType fonts
OpenType fonts are a cross-platform font format that can support both TrueType and PostScript font data and offer advanced typographic features. The format was developed jointly by Adobe and Microsoft in the 1990s and is widely used on major computer platforms. OpenType fonts have an .otf or .ttf suffix in the file name, depending on the type of font data they contain.
To install a font on Windows, download it in OpenType (.otf), PostScript Type 1 (.pfb +.pfm), TrueType (.ttf), or TrueType Collection (.ttc) format. Right-click the downloaded font file and select Install. If the font file comes in an archive such as a.zip file extract it first.
To install a font on Mac, download it in OpenType (.otf) or TrueType (.ttf) format. Double-click the downloaded font file to open it in Font Book. Click Install Font to add it to your system.
How to use FF Meta font family
FF Meta is a humanist sans-serif typeface family designed by Erik Spiekermann and released in 1991 through his FontFont library. According to Spiekermann, FF Meta was intended to be a complete antithesis of Helvetica, which he found boring and bland. It originated from an unused commission for the Deutsche Bundespost (West German Post Office). Throughout the 1990s, FF Meta was embraced by the international design community with Spiekermann and E. M. Ginger writing that it had been dubiously praised as the Helvetica of the 1990s.
FF Meta has been adopted by numerous corporations and other organizations as a corporate typeface, for signage or in their logo. These include Imperial College London, The Weather Channel, Free Tibet, the television stations WSYR-TV, WIVT and WUTR in upstate New York, Herman Miller, Zimmer Holdings, Mozilla Corporation, Mozilla Foundation, Schaeffler Group, Endemol, Greggs, Digital UK (now Everyone TV), Liberal Democrats, Mumsnet and Fort Wayne International Airport. The University of Hull uses FF Meta Serif alongside FF Meta. The Government of Greece has used FF Meta Greek as the official government typeface since 2010. New York Review Books uses FF Meta for their covers.
The FF Meta family now comprises over sixty fonts with a wide variation of weights and styles available. These are all available in Roman, italic, small caps and italic small caps. Between 1998 and 2005, further light stroke weights and a condensed family were introduced by Tagir Safayev and Olga Chayeva and were named: FF Meta Light and FF Meta Hairline. The last addition to the growing FF Meta font family is FF Meta Serif released by FSI in 2007.
Some of the visually distinctive characteristics of this typeface are:
Round dot over the letter i and j.
Curved tail on the letter y.
Curved bottom on the capital J.
Two-story lowercase a and g.
Diagonal stroke on the lowercase t.
Slanted terminals on the letters c, s, and e.
To use FF Meta on your website, you can either purchase a web font license from FontFont or use a web font service such as Adobe Fonts or Google Fonts. A web font license allows you to self-host the font files on your own server and use them with the @font-face CSS rule. A web font service hosts the font files for you and provides you with a code snippet to embed them on your web pages. Both options have their advantages and disadvantages, depending on your needs and preferences.
Best practices for web typography
Web typography is not just about choosing a font and applying it to your text. It also involves making decisions about how to format, present, and optimize your text for the web. Here are nine guidelines to help you create effective and engaging web typography:
1. Choose fonts that suit your content and brand
The fonts you use on your website should reflect the tone, mood, and message of your content, as well as the identity and personality of your brand. For example, if you are writing a blog about travel, you might want to use a font that is friendly, casual, and adventurous. If you are creating a portfolio for a professional service, you might want to use a font that is elegant, formal, and trustworthy. There is no definitive rule for choosing fonts, but you should consider factors such as readability, legibility, style, and emotion.
2. Pair fonts that complement each other
If you want to use more than one font on your website, you should make sure that they work well together and create a harmonious contrast. A common way to pair fonts is to use one for headings and another for body text. You can also use different fonts for subheadings, captions, quotes, or navigation elements. When pairing fonts, you should look for similarities and differences in aspects such as weight, size, shape, spacing, and mood. You can also use tools such as FontPair or Typ.io to find inspiration and examples of font combinations .
3. Format your text with hierarchy and alignment
Hierarchy and alignment are two principles of typography that help you organize and structure your text on a web page. Hierarchy refers to the way you arrange your text elements according to their importance and relevance. You can create hierarchy by using different levels of headings, subheadings, paragraphs, lists, and other text elements. You can also use variations in font size, weight, color, or style to emphasize certain parts of your text. Alignment refers to the way you align your text elements horizontally and vertically on a web page. You can align your text elements to the left, right, center, or justify them. You can also use grids or columns to create a consistent layout for your text elements. Both hierarchy and alignment help you create a clear and coherent visual flow for your text content.
4. Present your text with spacing and color
Spacing and color are two aspects of typography that help you enhance the appearance and readability of your text on a web page. Spacing refers to the amount of space between and around your text elements. You can adjust spacing by using margins, padding, line-height, letter-spacing, or word-spacing properties in CSS. Spacing helps you create breathing room for your text elements and avoid cluttering or overlapping them. Color refers to the hue, saturation, and brightness of your text elements. You can use color to create contrast between your text elements and the background, as well as to convey mood or emotion. You should choose colors that are appropriate for your content and brand, as well as accessible for all users.
5. Optimize your text for performance and accessibility
Performance and accessibility are two factors of typography that help you ensure that your text content is fast-loading and user-friendly on a web page. Performance refers to the speed at which your text content loads on different devices and browsers. You can optimize performance by using web fonts that are optimized for the web, minimizing the number of fonts you use, using font subsetting or compression techniques, or using fallback fonts or system fonts. Accessibility refers to the ease at which your text content can be accessed by all users regardless of their abilities or preferences. You can improve accessibility by using fonts that are readable and legible at different sizes[^27 and resolutions, using sufficient color contrast, using semantic markup and headings, or providing alternative text or captions for images or videos. Both performance and accessibility help you create a better user experience for your text content.
6. Test your text on different devices and browsers
Testing your text on different devices and browsers is a crucial step in web typography, as it helps you ensure that your text content looks and works as intended on various platforms and environments. You can test your text by using tools such as BrowserStack or LambdaTest to simulate how your web page appears on different devices and browsers. You can also use tools such as Google PageSpeed Insights or WebPageTest to measure how fast your web page loads on different devices and browsers. You should test your text for factors such as font rendering, font loading, font fallback, layout, alignment, spacing, color, contrast, and readability. You should also test your text for accessibility issues such as color blindness, low vision, dyslexia, or screen reader compatibility. Testing your text helps you identify and fix any potential problems or errors with your web typography.
7. Learn from the best examples of web typography
Learning from the best examples of web typography is a great way to improve your skills and knowledge in web typography, as well as to find inspiration and ideas for your own projects. You can learn from the best examples of web typography by browsing websites that showcase excellent web typography, such as Typewolf, Awwwards, or SiteInspire. You can also learn from the best examples of web typography by reading articles, books, or blogs that analyze and explain the principles and techniques of web typography, such as Better Web Type, Practical Typography, or The Elements of Typographic Style Applied to the Web. You should learn from the best examples of web typography by observing how they use fonts, format text, present text, and optimize text for the web.
8. Experiment with different fonts and styles
Experimenting with different fonts and styles is a fun and creative way to explore the possibilities and limitations of web typography, as well as to discover new and interesting ways to use fonts on your website. You can experiment with different fonts and styles by using tools such as Font Playground or Type Nugget to play with various font properties and effects. You can also experiment with different fonts and styles by using tools such as Font Squirrel or Google Fonts to browse and download hundreds of free fonts for the web. You should experiment with different fonts and styles by trying out different combinations, variations, transformations, and animations of fonts on your website.
9. Keep learning and updating your web typography
Keeping learning and updating your web typography is an essential part of web typography, as it helps you stay updated with the latest trends, developments, and innovations in web typography. Web typography is a dynamic and evolving field that constantly changes and improves with new technologies, standards, and practices. You can keep learning and updating your web typography by following online resources such as Smashing Magazine, CSS-Tricks, or Web Typography News that provide useful tips, tutorials, news, and insights on web typography. You can also keep learning and updating your web typography by attending online courses such as Learn UI Design or Typography for Designers that teach you the fundamentals and advanced concepts of web typography. You should keep learning and updating your web typography by applying what you learn to your own projects and keeping track of your progress and results.
Conclusion
Web typography is a vital aspect of web design that can make or break your website. By using web typography effectively, you can create engaging, attractive, and user-friendly text content that communicates your message clearly and persuasively. In this article, I have shown you how to install and use FF Meta font family on your website, as well as some of the best practices for web typography. I hope you have found this article helpful and informative. If you want to learn more about web typography, here are some resources that I recommend:
FontFont: FF Meta: The official website of FF Meta font family where you can learn more about its history, features, variants, and licenses.
Adobe Fonts: FF Meta: A web font service that allows you to use FF Meta font family on your website with a subscription plan.
Google Fonts: FF Meta: A free web font service that allows you to use FF Meta font family on your website with a simple code snippet.
Better Web Type: A free online course on web typography: A free online course that teaches you the basics of web typography in 10 easy lessons.
Practical Typography: Typography in ten minutes: A concise and practical guide to the most essential rules of web typography.
The Elements of Typographic Style Applied to the Web: A web adaptation of the classic book by Robert Bringhurst that covers the principles and practices of web typography.
FAQs
Here are some frequently asked questions about web typography:
What is the difference between serif and sans-serif fonts?
Serif fonts are fonts that have small strokes or extensions at the end of the main strokes of the letters. Sans-serif fonts are fonts that do not have these strokes or extensions. Examples of serif fonts are Times New Roman, Georgia, or Garamond. Examples of sans-serif fonts are Arial, Helvetica, or Verdana. Serif fonts are usually considered more traditional, formal, or elegant, while sans-serif fonts are usually considered more modern, casual, or simple.
What is the difference between font and typeface?
Font and typeface are terms that are often used interchangeably, but they have different meanings in typography. Typeface is the design of a set of characters that share common features, such as shape, style, or weight. Font is the specific implementation or file format of a typeface that can be installed and used on a computer. For example, Helvetica is a typeface, while Helvetica.ttf is a font.
What is the difference between web fonts and system fonts?
Web fonts are fonts that are hosted on a server and downloaded by the browser when a web page is loaded. System fonts are fonts that are installed on the user's computer and available for use by the browser. Web fonts allow you to use any font you want on your website, regardless of whether the user has it installed or not. System fonts allow you to use fonts that are fast-loading and compatible with most devices and browsers.
What are some common web font formats?
Some common web font formats are:
OpenType (.otf): A cross-platform font format that can support both TrueType and PostScript font data and offer advanced typographic features.
TrueType (.ttf): A cross-platform font format that can support scalable vector graphics and hinting instructions for better rendering.
Web Open Font Format (.woff): A web-specific font format that can compress font data and reduce file size.
Web Open Font Format 2 (.woff2): An improved version of .woff that can compress font data more efficiently and support variable fonts.
Embedded OpenType (.eot): A web-specific font format that can embed font data in a web page and prevent unauthorized copying.
Scalable Vector Graphics (.svg): An image format that can support scalable vector graphics and animations.
How can I check if a font is free to use on my website?
To check if a font is free to use on your website, you should read the license agreement or terms of use of the font provider or creator. Different fonts may have different licenses or restrictions on how they can be used, distributed, modified, or credited. Some fonts may be free for personal use only, while others may be free for commercial use as well. Some fonts may require attribution or a link back to the source, while others may not. Some fonts may allow you to self-host them on your own server, while others may require you to use a web font service. You should always respect the rights and wishes of the font provider or creator and follow their guidelines when using their fonts on your website. dcd2dc6462