Roboto

Designer:

Christian Robertson

Purpose:

Roboto was commissioned and developed in-house by Google as the system font for their Android mobile operating system. It can be for both body and display text, and was created for versatility.

Websites Used:

• Google+
• Google Maps
• Google Search
• Google Play
• Youtube

How the Websites Are Using the Typeface:

Since the typeface was created in-house at Google, the typeface is used on a majority of Google services as their default font, such as Google+, Google Maps, Google Search, and Youtube. Because it is meant for web and mobile user-interface, and for a global network such as Google, it was made to be a versatile font. Google makes use of Roboto because it remains sophisticated (like Helvetica), while also being casual and approachable (fitting the general Google theme). It maintains its clean, simple, and emotional form through different weights, styles, sizes, and can withstand the different layouts for the multiple Google services.

Likes and Dislikes:

Likes:

• Easy to use
• Approachable
• Not too serious, not too casual
• Sophisticated in its simplicity
• Has a variety of different weights and forms

Dislikes:

• A bit too similar to Helvetica
• A little boring
• May become outdated quickly with the passing of time and the growth of Google

Typeface Personality:

• San-serif, neo-grotesque
• Modern, yet approachable
• Emotional
• Humanist