Microsoft, after reviewing five options, concluded on the new default font for its productivity apps like Word and Outlook, replacing Calibri as the previous default. The font is now referred to as Aptos - a name alteration from its former title of Bierstadt - as Steve Matteson, the font's creator, expressed that people didn't take the name seriously.
Farewell to Calibri. Microsoft has selected the next default font for its productivity applications – such as Word and Outlook – after testing five options that were issued in 2021. After being referred to as Bierstadt for a while, it now has a new name: Aptos. This is a key development for some of the most widely used software in the world. Microsoft does not take such measures lightly, seeing as Office products generate nearly 24% of its revenue and are growing at a faster rate than other segments of the business, such as video game content and search advertising, as Microsoft strives to acquire more end users and have existing customers spend more.
If the core applications appear fresh and modern, Microsoft will be in a stronger position to convert subscribers to Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) when renewal time rolls around. Consequently, the tech company is now ready to execute the change, having taken into account consumer opinions on the five new fonts.
"We are now entering the final stage of this major change where Aptos will begin appearing as the default font across Word, Outlook, PowerPoint and Excel for hundreds of millions of users," stated Si Daniels, the Principal Program Manager for Office Design at Microsoft, in a blog post published on Thursday. "Then, it will come pre-installed in all our products over the course of the next few months."
Users can keep the old name, Bierstadt, under the font list for those accustomed to it, plus they can opt to set any other font as the default font, such as Times New Roman, Arial, or even Calibri, the default font since 2007 until Office 365 was launched in 2011. Since Satya Nadella replaced Steve Ballmer as Microsoft CEO in 2014, the company is often perceived as friendlier and this updated identity will be better represented if people will be composing their emails in Outlook in a font more up-to-date.
In 2019, Microsoft asked font designer Steve Matteson to develop a font with a grotesque sans-serif style that takes inspiration from the classic Helvetica. At the time, Matteson was an employee of the font company Monotype and he and his colleagues sent Microsoft four or five proposals without disclosing the names of the creators. Anonymity was key for the designers, as they wanted Microsoft’s decision to be unbiased.
Matteson’s relationship with Microsoft traces back to the 1990s. He worked on Microsoft’s TrueType fonts for Windows 3.1; he designed the Segoe font used in the current Microsoft logo and marketing materials; and he also created Curlz, which he names as one of his least proud creation. Out of the bunch Matteson and his colleagues gave to Microsoft, they chose his, which was called Grotesque No. 2. The software maker then called it Koyuk and Matteson opted for the name Bierstadt, named after a mountain in Colorado where he lives;’ Bierstadt’ is German for ‘beer city’.
The name did not receive great feedback, so Microsoft then opted for a new one – Aptos – which is an unincorporated town in Santa Cruz County, California and which came to Matteson’s mind. “Aptos has this distinct coastal climate, it’s both a beach and up to the redwoods," Matteson told CNBC during an interview this week. "What I love about California is its diversity, and it made me think of all the different moods and emotions one can experience. In the same way, Aptos offers several different voices, but without distorting the messages.”
Matteson has also crafted a serif version of the font, and a monospace version suitable for coding. He worked on money symbols, plus on the support for Greek and Cyrillic languages. He worked closely with Microsoft to guarantee the font performs well in all scenarios and, if someone were to convert cells of an Excel spreadsheet from Calibri to Aptos, it would be unlikely for numbers in one cell to exceed the width of the other.
Despite not seeing all responses to Aptos, some users have commented on how a lowercase L and a capital I are not mistaken for one another in Bierstadt. However, Matteson has nothing but respect for Calibri and its creator, Lucas de Groot. “I understand Microsoft wanting to make a change, but I don’t think there was anything wrong with Calibri” he stated.
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