Segoe

"Segoe" (pronounced /IPA|si.ɡoʊ./) is a series of typefaces designed by Steve Matteson during his employment at Agfa Monotype [ [http://www.ascendercorp.com/portfolio_custom.html#MS_Corp Microsoft Corporate Fonts] ] . The font family is named after Segoe Road in Madison, Wisconsin, where one of Monotype's engineers lived. The Segoe name, although originally registered to Monotype, is a registered trademark of the Microsoft Corporation.

egoe

Segoe was designed by Steve Matteson during his employment at Agfa Monotype. Licensed to Microsoft for use as a branding typeface and user interface font, it was designed to be friendly and legible, and he created a range of weights and italics with a humanist feel.

egoe UI

Infobox font
name = Segoe UI


style = Sans-serif
date = 2004
creator = Steve Matteson
foundry = Monotype
sample = |

"Segoe UI" (pronounced /IPA|si.ɡoʊ. juː.aɪ/) is a sans-serif typeface used in Microsoft products for user interface text, as well as for some online user assistance material, designed to improve the consistency in how users see all text across all languages. It is easily distinguishable from its predecessor, "Tahoma", by its rounder letters.

Segoe UI is just one of many fonts (at least 27) using the Segoe trademark; others include an extensive range of branding print fonts [ [http://www.mcpmag.com/features/article.asp?EditorialsID=602 The Two Faces of the Microsoft Brand] (Doug Barney, July 2006)] used internally by Microsoft and their advertising agencies, the Windows Vista handwriting fonts Segoe Script and Segoe Print, Segoe Chess, a symbol encoded chess font, several Segoe Media Center fonts, and Segoe TV, which is built into MSN TV set-top-boxes.

Characteristics

Segoe UI is optimized for Vista's default ClearType rendering environment, and it is significantly less legible when ClearType is disabled, except at key user interface sizes (8, 9 and 10 point) where Segoe UI has been hinted for bi-level rendering. The standard font size increased to 9 pt. in Windows Vista to accommodate for better layout and readability for all languages. The Windows Vista version of Segoe UI (version 5.00) contains complete Unicode 4.1 coverage for Latin, Greek, Cyrillic and Arabic, totaling 2843 glyphs in the regular weight.

egoe Print

It is a font family that simulates handwriting.

egoe Script

It is a font family that simulates handwriting, but the letters are linked.

egoe Chess

It is a symbol encoded chess font.

egoe TV

It is a font family built into MSN TV set-top-boxes. It retains characteristics of the original Segoe, such as sans-serif capital I and straight tail in capital Q, whereas other characters have been redrawn such as the i and j.

egoe in other font families

Latin glyphs of Segoe UI are also found in following font families: Malgun Gothic (Korean), Microsoft JhengHei (Traditional Chinese), Microsoft YaHei (Simplified Chinese), Gisha (Hebrew), Leelawadee (Thai).

Controversy

There has been some controversy over Segoe UI's similarity to the "Frutiger" family of typefaces, licensed by German font foundry Linotype (as of August 2006 a wholly owned subsidiary of Monotype Imaging). In 2004, Microsoft registered certain Segoe and Segoe Italic fonts as original font designs with the European Union trademark and design office. Linotype protested, and in February 2006, the EU withdrew Microsoft's registration. [cite web
url=http://oami.eu.int/PDF/design/invaldec/ICD%20000000743%20decision%20(EN).pdf
title=DECISION OF THE INVALIDITY DIVISION (pdf)
date=06 February 2006
accessdate=2006-07-31
author=Designs Department - Invalidity Division
publisher=Office for the Harmonization in the Internal Market
format=PDF] In its submission to the EU, Microsoft claimed that Linotype had failed to properly prove that it had been selling "Frutiger" and "Frutiger Next" prior to 2004. The EU rejected these claims. It should be noted that the EU looks at type specimens at 16 point size, in which many of the subtle differences of similar fonts are not noticeable; notwithstanding, this also prevents extremely subtle differences, which could be seen as solely for the reason of obtaining legality, from ensuring that the font gets validated.Fact|date=February 2007 Microsoft did not appeal the decision.

In practice, while many of Segoe's characters are indeed very similar to those of Frutiger, they are not noticeably more similar than other, less controversial Frutiger-like fonts such as Adobe's Myriad and Apple's Podium Sans. As illustrated here, several letters have very distinct forms, reflecting the fonts' different intended uses (low-resolution screen display for Segoe UI, airport signage for Frutiger). However, Ulrich Stiehl, an outspoken critic of font plagiarism (who also attacks Linotype and Adobe on his site), has claimed that many of these differences were introduced in more recent versions of the font, while earlier versions were closer to Frutiger. [ [http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/columns/executive_tech/article.php/3601421 Designer Says Vista Font is Original] (Brian Livingston, 25 April 2006)] [ [http://www.sanskritweb.net/forgers/segoe2.pdf Segoe UI 1997-2003 vs. Segoe UI 2005] (Comparison on page 3)]

Simon Daniels, a program manager in Microsoft's typography group, quoted in a November 2005 blog entry, states "The original Segoe fonts were not created for or by Microsoft. It was an existing Monotype design which we licensed and extensively extended and customized to meet the requirements of different processes, apps and devices." [cite web
url=http://blogs.msdn.com/jensenh/archive/2005/11/28/497441.aspx
title=I Guess No One Cares About Fonts
date=November 11 2005
work=An Office User Interface Blog
publisher=MSDN Bogs
author=Simon Daniels] A Microsoft public relations spokesman, who asked not to be named, stated in April 2006:

:"Segoe was an original design developed by Agfa Monotype (now Monotype Imaging) in 2000. In 2003, we acquired the original Segoe fonts and used them to develop an extended family of fonts retaining the Segoe name. Many of these new fonts received design patent protection in the United States. Segoe was not derived from Frutiger. Microsoft also has a current up-to-date license that allows us to distribute certain Frutiger fonts in connection with Microsoft products including Office and Windows. There are distinct differences between Segoe and Frutiger. Additionally, unlike clone typefaces, the Segoe family of fonts are not metrically compatible with Frutiger so cannot be used as replacements." [cite web
url=http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/columns/executive_tech/article.php/3599861
title=Is Microsoft's Vista Font Just a Copy?
author=Brian Livingston
date=April 18 2006
accessdate=2006-08-01
publisher=earthweb.com
work=Datamation]

It is notable that typefaces can be exactly copied without breaking copyright, as in the case of many PostScript printer manufacturers.

On August 1, 2006, Monotype Imaging announced that it had acquired Linotype from its parent company. Whether or not this signals an end to this chapter in the history of the Segoe fonts remains to be seen. [cite web
url=http://www.monotypeimaging.com/aboutus/pr_display.aspx?year=2006&pr=292
title=Monotype Imaging: Monotype Imaging Acquires Linotype
date=August 2 2006
accessdate=2007-01-27
publisher=Monotype Imaging]

Availability

The Segoe UI font family is available as a part of the Microsoft products named above. It can be obtained as part of Microsoft Office 2007 or Windows Vista. Certain Segoe fonts, but not Segoe UI, were included in Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, replacing Trebuchet MS.

Segoe UI is installed into Windows XP if the user installs Windows Live Mail or Microsoft Word Viewer, both available as free downloads.

An early version of Segoe, possibly an evaluation version, was included with certain versions of SuSE Linux, but no longer ships as part of that operating system. The first company to distribute Segoe, under license from Monotype, was ScalaFact|date=June 2007, a Canadian electronic signage company (unrelated to the typeface FF Scala). On June 7, 2005 Scala announced [ [http://www.techmedia.com.au/TM_pages/magazine/news/articles/A006_050607_scala7-4/A050607_scala7-4.html Scala and TechMedia are pleased to announce InfoChannel 3 Release 7.4.] ] that Segoe was being removed from its InfoChannel product "due to licensing issues". Scala replaced Segoe with Bitstream Vera fonts.

At one time, Microsoft also released a package called "Print Ad for Microsoft Dynamics Business Management Solutions Brief Description", which includes TrueType and PostScript Type 1 versions of Segoe fonts. [ [http://www.istartedsomething.com/20070531/download-segoe-collection/ Download the full Segoe font collection, official Microsoft branding typeface] ]

Retail version of Segoe TV, Segoe UI are available through Ascender Corporation.

References

External links

* [http://www.sanskritweb.net/forgers/segoe.pdf Legal Background of the Segoe Case] , an anti-Segoe perspective
* [http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/columns/executive_tech/article.php/3599861 Is Microsoft's Vista Font Just a Copy?] , Brian Livingston, 18 April 2006
* [http://www.ascendercorp.com/pr/pr2007_04_13.html New TV Fonts Announced]
*Ascender Segoe font family: [http://www.ascendercorp.com/msfonts/segoeUI.html Segoe UI] , [http://www.ascendercorp.com/segoetv.html Segoe TV]
* [http://neosmart.net/gallery/v/apps/fonts/ Cleartype gallery]