HEADLINE: New Typefaces

PICTURE CUTLINE:
At the Fontshop foundry in Berlin, Inka Menne works on one of the letters in a new Cyrillic typeface.

TEXT:
In print, on the Web, and even on street signs, typefaces are everywhere, yet they are mostly taken for granted. Different typefaces, or fonts, are distinguished from one another by minute details. The construction of a single letter, or even of a single serif (one of the little feet at the end of a stroke), can determine whether a typeface reads well or poorly. The people who labor over these details are called typographers. They often take months or even years to complete a new typeface.