In typography, a font superfamily or typeface superfamily is a font family containing fonts that fall into multiple classifications.[1]
The norm in a superfamily is to start from an identical character shape; class-specific features such as serifs are added to that shape. The result is a set of fonts with a similar appearance that belong to different classes such as sans, serif, slab serif, rounded.[2][3]
Superfamilies may include fonts grouped together for a common purpose that are not exactly complementary in letterform structure. They can allow organizations to expand their image and style while maintaining stylistic consistency. For example, BBC Reith font superfamily was commissioned by the BBC in 2018 to facilitate 'typographic expression' and consists of three styles (condensed, sans, serif) as well as a multitude of weights.[4][5]
Notable superfamilies
Same letterforms
Berlingske
by Playtype, comprising Berlingske Serif, Berlingske Serif Display, Berlingske Serif Stencil, Berlingske sans, Berlingske Sans Display, Berlingske sans Stencil, Berlingske Slab, Berlingske Slab Display, Berlingske Slab Stencil, Berlingske Typewriter.
by Steve Matteson, comprising Liberation Sans, Liberation Serif and Liberation Mono
References
^Seeliger, Frank (2016-04-01), "Machen Google, Wikipedia und Amazon und Co. Bibliotheken überflüssig?", Hochschulmanagement in Theorie und Praxis : Festschrift für László Ungvári, Wildau Verlag GmbH, doi:10.15771/978-3-945560-03-7_12, ISBN 978-3-945560-03-7, retrieved 2023-06-27
^"Superfamilies". Google Fonts. Retrieved 2023-06-27.
^"What are font superfamilies and why do we need them?". Monotype. 2020-05-06. Retrieved 2023-06-27.