The All-Around Trebuchet MS Font and Its Features and Applications
Trebuchet MS is a humanist sans-serif typeface designed in 1996 by Vincent Connare for Microsoft Corporation. The font derives its name from a medieval siege engine.
Trebuchet MS Features
In 2011, Vincent Connare indicated that he developed Trebuchet MS taking inspiration from numerous sources. Some of those sources included preexisting sans-serif typefaces, such as Alternate Gothic and Akzidenz-Grotesk.
However, Trebuchet MS contains numerous design features that differ significantly from the styles that inspired its creation. For instance, the typeface stands out for the curved tail of the lowercase letters ‘l’ and ‘j.’ It also has characteristic rounded dots above the letters ‘i’ and ‘j.’
Ampersands executed in the Trebuchet MS font generally assume the form of an “Et” ligature while the dollar sign has the vertical stroke appearing only above the top and underneath the bottom curves of the letter ‘S.’ Besides, the capital letter ‘A’ has a relatively low bar whereas the capital letter ‘Q’ sports a quirky, elongated tail compared to many sans-serif fonts.
The following are other design features unique to the Trebuchet MS font;
• Exclamation mark with large and round dot
• Shortened tails of the numbers ‘6’ and ‘9’ as well as the small letter ‘e’
• Hybrid open and looped tail of the small letter ‘g’
• Splayed edges of the capital letter ‘M,’ which appear to form a 10-degree angle with the letter’s vertical line
• Tails of the bold versions of small letters ‘a’ and ‘l’ are pointed as opposed to square-cut
Last but not least, Trebuchet MS is available in three variants. They include Trebuchet MS (Regular), Trebuchet MS Bold, and Trebuchet MS Bold Italic.
Trebuchet MS Applications
Trebuchet MS succeeded MS Sans Serif and Tahoma to become the primary font for the window titles in the Windows XP default theme. But while Trebuchet enjoyed initial fame as a title font, the typeface looks just as stunning on body text.
You can apply Trebuchet MS on a range of designs, including company logotypes, business cards, and product labeling. The font would also be suitable for t-shirt printing, homeware designs, store and road signage, book and magazine covers, and movie posters, to mention but a few.
And needless to mention Trebuchet MS looks just as fabulous on digital displays as it does on hard cover prints. In fact, Connare has repeatedly stated in past interviews that he envisioned a typeface that would work exceptionally well on screen and possibly replace the more popular Verdana.
Where to Download Trebuchet MS
Trebuchet MS is available on a number of websites, including Fonts Family, Fonts Vault, and DaFont Free. You can also find Trebuchet MS on Best Fonts, My Fonts, and Fonts Download.
Is Trebuchet MS Free? Microsoft Corporation released Trebuchet MS free of charge as part of the company’s Core fonts for the Web package. However, the font remains Microsoft’s property and is only free for personal use.