5 ms·

The Android Font: Roboto

69 points by acak 15y ago

gbaygon 15y ago
It's worth noticing that this font is licensed under the Apache License Version 2.0. So it's ok to use it in personal or commercial projects (by including a copy of the license an propper attribution). The font can be found in the folder data/fonts on the Android SDK 4.0 / r14, and also the Readme file that states the license.
- veeti 15y ago
  You can also download it from the link.
- unicornporn 15y ago
  I don't understand why they haven't added it to the Google Web Fonts directory yet.
  - notatoad 15y ago
    Probably because they don't really want people to use it. I imagine the license has to be fairly open to allow for unencumbered distribution with android, but it's a part of the android brand. Every time it gets used outside of android makes it a little more generic and dilutes the android brand a little bit.
    - ajross 15y ago
      If it were visually distinguishable from Helvetica, maybe. But it's really not. It's more modern, more complete, and probably "better" in some typographical way that I don't understand. But it's really not. What this represents to the free software community is a repackaging of a Helvetica-like font in a way that doesn't suck. To anyone concerned about the "Android brand" it's a wash.
    - esolyt 15y ago
      Droid Sans, however, is available in Google Web Fonts.
  - patrickaljord 15y ago
    You can already: <link rel="stylesheet" href="http://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Roboto:regular,medium,thin,italic,mediumitalic&#62 http://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Roboto:regular,medium...; See this post: https://plus.google.com/108761828584265913206/posts/JyBRu1gs6HV https://plus.google.com/108761828584265913206/posts/JyBRu1gs...
dbh937 15y ago
I wish that google would add this font to GDocs already. Love it.
Steveism 15y ago
I'm not a Roboto fan. I think Gruber sums it up the best: http://daringfireball.net/2011/10/font_hipsters http://daringfireball.net/2011/10/font_hipsters
- grantheaslip 15y ago
  I have no idea how much you know about type design, but I get the sense that the vast majority of people disparaging Roboto don't actually know shit about typography, and are just parroting what's been said by a handful of bloggers (many of whom also aren't particularly well versed). If a lot of these guys were asked to rate a bunch of unnamed fonts without the benefit of the internet to tell them what they think about them, they would probably make some terrible font snob faux pas. I'm not an expert of typography, but to my eyes, it's a nice, clean, readable screen font. So is the Droid font family. It's not my absolute favourite, but there are more pressing issues in the world.
  - Steveism 15y ago
    John Gruber is extremely well versed in typography. He talks at great length about typefaces in his podcast and has worked for Bare Bones Software on BBEdit, a well known text editor. I would tend to trust his judgements on this matter.
    - mda 15y ago
      How about you trust your own eyes and feelings about this sort of things?
      - Steveism 15y ago
        All I did was mention that I agreed with Gruber not that he swayed me one way or the other. I think the fonts in ICS along with the rest of the Android interface is just awful. And obviously saying that in a thread which would appeal to an android user would go over like a lead ballon. Just thinking for myself.
PedroCandeias 15y ago
I have to say, that Android Design minisite is full of useful nuggets of information on app design. It's worth a look regardless of your thoughts on Roboto.
idspispopd 15y ago
Roboto is Google's Arial. It's the result of intellectual property licensing. It's pointless comparing Google to Apple here. Apple has learnt that it's more important to license fonts from the legitimate IP holders instead of generating dupes that are just different enough to avoid a damages case. Even when creating custom typefaces based on existing fonts, Apple have engaged the original IP holder to create the font (see Apple Garamond.) Roboto a chimera of existing popular typefaces and the problem with that is that it's a poorly assembled "frankenfont", the borrowed sections are obvious and poorly connected, this creates an inconsistent aesthetic. Namely a shitty typeface. However, just like Arial, everyday users don't, and won't care - there is no point fussing over it, the only thing this shows is that Google hires lame design agencies, and is perhaps not as thoughtful as championed. The problem with Hacker News is that there is a demongraphic of two faced users who gush over their preferred tech companies, while scorning others. Note here that Microsoft did similar with Windows 7 and the dialogue was far different to what I'm reading today.

69 points by acak 15y ago

It's worth noticing that this font is licensed under the Apache License Version 2.0. So it's ok to use it in personal or commercial projects (by including a copy of the license an propper attribution). The font can be found in the folder data/fonts on the Android SDK 4.0 / r14, and also the Readme file that states the license.

veeti 15y ago
You can also download it from the link.
unicornporn 15y ago
I don't understand why they haven't added it to the Google Web Fonts directory yet.
- notatoad 15y ago
  Probably because they don't really want people to use it. I imagine the license has to be fairly open to allow for unencumbered distribution with android, but it's a part of the android brand. Every time it gets used outside of android makes it a little more generic and dilutes the android brand a little bit.
  - ajross 15y ago
    If it were visually distinguishable from Helvetica, maybe. But it's really not. It's more modern, more complete, and probably "better" in some typographical way that I don't understand. But it's really not. What this represents to the free software community is a repackaging of a Helvetica-like font in a way that doesn't suck. To anyone concerned about the "Android brand" it's a wash.
  - esolyt 15y ago
    Droid Sans, however, is available in Google Web Fonts.
- patrickaljord 15y ago
  You can already: <link rel="stylesheet" href="http://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Roboto:regular,medium,thin,italic,mediumitalic&#62 http://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Roboto:regular,medium...; See this post: https://plus.google.com/108761828584265913206/posts/JyBRu1gs6HV https://plus.google.com/108761828584265913206/posts/JyBRu1gs...

dbh937 15y ago

I wish that google would add this font to GDocs already. Love it.

Steveism 15y ago

I'm not a Roboto fan. I think Gruber sums it up the best: http://daringfireball.net/2011/10/font_hipsters http://daringfireball.net/2011/10/font_hipsters

grantheaslip 15y ago
I have no idea how much you know about type design, but I get the sense that the vast majority of people disparaging Roboto don't actually know shit about typography, and are just parroting what's been said by a handful of bloggers (many of whom also aren't particularly well versed). If a lot of these guys were asked to rate a bunch of unnamed fonts without the benefit of the internet to tell them what they think about them, they would probably make some terrible font snob faux pas. I'm not an expert of typography, but to my eyes, it's a nice, clean, readable screen font. So is the Droid font family. It's not my absolute favourite, but there are more pressing issues in the world.
- Steveism 15y ago
  John Gruber is extremely well versed in typography. He talks at great length about typefaces in his podcast and has worked for Bare Bones Software on BBEdit, a well known text editor. I would tend to trust his judgements on this matter.
  - mda 15y ago
    How about you trust your own eyes and feelings about this sort of things?
    - Steveism 15y ago
      All I did was mention that I agreed with Gruber not that he swayed me one way or the other. I think the fonts in ICS along with the rest of the Android interface is just awful. And obviously saying that in a thread which would appeal to an android user would go over like a lead ballon. Just thinking for myself.

PedroCandeias 15y ago

I have to say, that Android Design minisite is full of useful nuggets of information on app design. It's worth a look regardless of your thoughts on Roboto.

idspispopd 15y ago

Roboto is Google's Arial. It's the result of intellectual property licensing. It's pointless comparing Google to Apple here. Apple has learnt that it's more important to license fonts from the legitimate IP holders instead of generating dupes that are just different enough to avoid a damages case. Even when creating custom typefaces based on existing fonts, Apple have engaged the original IP holder to create the font (see Apple Garamond.) Roboto a chimera of existing popular typefaces and the problem with that is that it's a poorly assembled "frankenfont", the borrowed sections are obvious and poorly connected, this creates an inconsistent aesthetic. Namely a shitty typeface. However, just like Arial, everyday users don't, and won't care - there is no point fussing over it, the only thing this shows is that Google hires lame design agencies, and is perhaps not as thoughtful as championed. The problem with Hacker News is that there is a demongraphic of two faced users who gush over their preferred tech companies, while scorning others. Note here that Microsoft did similar with Windows 7 and the dialogue was far different to what I'm reading today.