I'm using Bootstrap for a site which defaults the use of Font Awesome. So far it looks beautiful, but I started trying to find the reasons why Font Awesome was so awesome so I might compare it to other fonts available online. I am not a typography expert but I'm trying to learn more about why I might choose one font over another. From a typographic perspective what are the advantages of Font Awesome?
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4I think you're very much asking the wrong question here. Font Awesome isn't really a font - it's an icon set that happens to use a font as its technical implementation.– DallonFCommented Jan 27, 2014 at 14:03
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I thought there was also a font associated with Font Awesome. Is it really only the icons?– ChromarushCommented Jan 27, 2014 at 14:20
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It's "the iconic font". Also, @Chromarush, the "awesome" in the name is branding, not a research-supported objective description.– MatthewCommented Jan 27, 2014 at 14:22
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1 Answer
The reasons why Font Awesome is so awesome have nothing to do with typography at all; it's simply a typeface full of scalable vector icons that, by way of including the font on your page, are instantly available when you need a sweet icon.
From their site: "Font Awesome gives you scalable vector icons that can instantly be customized — size, color, drop shadow, and anything that can be done with the power of CSS."
As an icon set, though it's awesome because:
it means you don't have to store a bunch of images (or even an unwieldy sprite)
they're vectors, meaning they're awesome on Retina (and other HD) screens. this is related to #1 in that this wouldn't be as easy with a ton of images
you can control and style them with CSS as if they're any other typed character
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Thank you. I read those items on the site and agree that they are very powerful. I am still wondering about the specifics of the typography. How and why it was developed and what advantages or disadvantages it possesses in comparison to other fonts. Does the typography matter less than the items listed when it comes to web fonts? Commented Jan 27, 2014 at 14:01
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Can you give an example of the fonts you're comparing it to? My point above is that Font Awesome is not a font in the traditional sense (i.e., it can't be compared to Helvetica or similar) because it doesn't contain characters for written text. Just icons. Commented Jan 27, 2014 at 14:09
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That's what @DallonF said above. I was definitely confused because I thought that Font Awesome actually had a letter/characters associated with it. Commented Jan 27, 2014 at 14:22