![]() ![]() SF UI is used on iOS, OS X, and now tvOS-SF Compact is used on the watch. They share similar characteristics and features but are designed to look best on their intended platforms. These sibling families were designed to be “related, but not equal”. ![]() San Francisco has two distinct typefaces: SF UI and SF Compact. The system is technically complex, but when used “correctly” it seems obvious and simple almost transparent to the reader. It’s a typeface designed for the digital age and it excels in this medium in ways that Helvetica, DIN, or Lucida Grande never could. If we put San Francisco under the microscope, we’ll see that the visual similarities are just a small piece of this type system. When viewed under this simplified stylistic lens, they aren’t exactly wrong. Many critics have compared it to Helvetica and DIN. So is San Francisco really the perfect system font for Apple’s products? It’s complicated. Just three months later in September, Apple announced the Apple TV which also uses SF UI. In June 2015 Apple added to its type system with the introduction of San Francisco (SF UI) on OS X 10.11 and iOS 9. We didn’t have to wait long for a proper version of San Francisco on the Mac. The spacing wasn’t right and it was hard to read long text strings. ![]() People quickly installed San Francisco (SF Compact) on the Mac only to find the results were less than ideal. It seemed to work well in screen shots but most people wouldn’t see it in person for another seven months. It was designed to work at small sizes maximizing legibility on the new, much smaller screen of the Apple Watch. With the Apple Watch came an entirely new, Apple designed typeface called San Francisco. If you are not familiar with the terms used to discuss typography, or want to learn more about legibility and screen rendering make sure to read Part 1 first. ![]()
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