How to Identify a Font

As a graphic designer, I frequently encounter jobs where it is essential that I am able to identify a certain font. Most of the time, the font is something fairly common and requires only a bit of scrolling through your fonts list, but occasionally you see something completely foreign to you and with all the thousands of fonts out there, you get a little intimidated. Don't be. There are a few ways to help you name that pesky font.

The first place I like to go is a site called identifont.com. This site helps you find the font by the process of elimination. You are asked a series of questions regarding various characteristics of the particular font. "Does it have serifs?" "Does the capital U have a stem?" Some people may not know what the word "serif" or "stem" means, but it's okay because the site gives you a visual aid. As you answer each question, the field of possible fonts becomes smaller. Typically, you are left with a list of about 30 fonts that are fairly close. This is nice because even if you don't find the font you're looking for, you have several options for substitution. The only problem with this site is that the fonts that are listed are usually a commercial font, meaning they have to be paid for. If you have a client that has a sizeable budget, they might buy the font, but its doubtful. This is where I shamelessly advocate piracy. Occasionally, you can find some of the more popular commercial fonts using a file sharing application like Limewire or BitTorrent. I you choose to try this, be very careful. Many times these files are malicious files in disquise. Make sure to virus scan anything you download.