Apps We Love: Typeface 3 Review
Reviews • July.25, 2022
When we first published our guide on the best font managers for Mac, we mentioned how crucial they are for designers and artists. And we are sure you benefitted from our coverage, at least in finding a superb font manager for your project.
Over the past years, we have polished our coverage, adding better options to the list. However, despite these changes, one specific font manager has stayed on top: Typeface! In the latest iteration of the article, we put Typeface 3 as the top pick as well.
So, we think it’s pretty natural that a detailed Typeface 3 review is long overdue. Without further delay, we shall explore the options.
What is Typeface 3
Typeface 3 is a font manager that aspires to be “your all-new favorite font app.” As you can guess, Typeface 3 is the latest version of the font manager suite. Typeface 3 brings many features into the package compared to the previous versions.
Essentially, Typeface 3 is a better way to view, organize, and manage different fonts on your Mac. The best part? You can integrate Typeface 3 into the various workflows for your project. For instance, if you work with the Adobe Creative Cloud suite, you will not have trouble managing fonts using the app.
However, essential font management is only the tip of the iceberg. Typeface 3 offers many features that all designers will need and love at some point. We shall explore these features and how they work in the review below.
The interface
As you can see in the screenshots, Typeface 3 uses a minimal User Interface. You can find a sidebar that will help you navigate between different sections of the app. On the right-hand side, you can find the illustration of the fonts from the collection you have selected.
For instance, we have opened the Google Fonts folder. As a result, the right-hand side of the screen displays all the fonts from that collection.
As you can guess, you can change the preview text. So, it can be done in a second if you want to know how your brand name looks in various fonts.
You can see detailed information about a font when you click on it. For example, you have options to see the characters, text, features, variables, etc. It’s a great way to understand how the font looks.
Altogether, the UI of Typeface 3 is impressive. It does not leave anything for guesswork. Instead, you can get started and navigate around the app with ease.
Even if you have not used font manager apps in the past, Typeface 3 will be an easy take. In total, we would give a 5-star rating for the UI alone.
It’s so effortless to use and get used to.
The compatibility
Compatibility is another area where Typeface 3 shines like a star.
For one, the developers have designed the font manager app exclusively for Mac. It is not a forked version. It means you can expect maximum performance from the app, especially when handling multiple fonts and editing suites.
On Macs with Apple Silicon chips like M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max, and M2, Typeface 3 will run even smoother, all thanks to its native support. Last but not least, the app offers full support for macOS Monterey. So if you are running a beta version of macOS Monterey, you can still use Typeface 3.
We have not tested the latest version on Intel-based Macs, but the performance should be excellent.
The core features review
Of course, core font management features make Typeface 3 a worthy option for many designers, developers, and artists. So let’s have a look at these features. For the easiness of understanding, we have split these features into three sections: Font Management, Organization, and Workflow.
Font Management
- Detail-oriented View
The viewing pane of Typeface 3 offers a details-oriented overview of each font. As we said earlier, you can easily explore characters, text forms, and other variables. You can also analyze OpenType features using the same suite.
- Body text layouts
It is important to see how a font looks and feels in different contexts, right? Instead of showing you a random text, Typeface 3 can apply the font to content organized like a magazine, website article, or a book. It gives a new perspective while exploring fonts.
- Font Comparison
You will need to understand even the minute details when conscious about fonts. Here is when you can use the font comparison feature. Here, I am comparing one font with another. So, you can see that the first font is superimposed on the other one.
Font Organization
- Powerful Tags
You can easily create tags and attach multiple fonts to the tag. In addition to manual tags, Typeface 3 offers support for smart tags. In other words, if you deal with hundreds or thousands of words, finding the right font will be easier with the help of tags.
- Synced Directories
Synced directories on Typeface 3 also come in handy more often than you think. You can connect the folder to Typeface 3, and it will be available all the time. You can also use these directories to filter and eliminate fonts.
- Family Editor
The latest version of Typeface 3 also makes it easy to manage fonts from different font families. You can use Smart Suggestions to make sure that variants of a single font are added to the same family. Of course, if you want to go manual, you can also do that.
- Duplicate Remover
Like any other duplicate content, duplicate fonts are not productivity-friendly. But the task of removing such fonts is hectic. However, you can use Typeface 3 to detect duplicate fonts and remove them from the system with a click.
Workflow
- Easy Activation Management
Activating and deactivating fonts can be difficult, but Typeface 3 makes it easy. You can choose between 3 options: Persistent activation, Temporary activation, and Auto activation. Each mode will provide a suitable workflow for shifting between hundreds of fonts.
- Font Switch
The Font Switch feature on Typeface 3 makes it easy to work with design apps like Adobe Photoshop. Instead of going through the entire process of finding a font within the core app, you can select the font from the UI of Typeface 3.
- Cloud Sync
You can use Typeface 3 to keep your fonts synced between devices. You can choose between cloud storage providers like Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive. Once connected, you can access all your fonts from all supported Macs.
Additional Features
With every update, Typeface keeps adding new features. We will look at those minor yet helpful ones in the package.
- You can export the font collection into an easy-to-read PDF document.
- Typeface 3 works fine with system fonts, and you can manage them seamlessly.
- You can also benefit from dynamic previews and color fonts via Typeface 3.
- It offers built-in support for Google Fonts and Adobe Fonts.
- The Night Theme looks amazing while previewing specific fonts.
- You can add multiple tags to a single font so that they are easy to find.
- The flexible UI allows you to collapse the sidebar for a better viewing experience.
We expect the developer to add more features in the next release.
The pricing
As we mentioned earlier, Typeface 3 is available for macOS only.
As far as the pricing is concerned, Typeface 3 does not have a free version. However, you can download and use the free trial for a few days.
Typeface Pro is available for a one-time purchase of $39.99. You will also get additional Pro features for 12 months.
You can purchase Typeface 3 from the App Store or get it as part of the Setapp subscription.
The verdict
Ultimately, we cannot resist recommending Typeface 3 to all our readers.
There are so many good things about Typeface 3, and the features are super-reliable. Because it requires minimal learning, you can get started with the font manager in a few minutes. Once you do it, you can expect improved productivity as well.
Pros
- Typeface 3 is straightforward to set up and use
- The app offers advanced font management options
- It works hand in hand with other design/artist tools
- An incredible User Interface that is smooth to the eye
Cons
- It would be nice to see a free version (at least a limited one)
So, for designers, developers, and artists, Typeface 3 is a must-have tool. In addition, Typeface 3 can make things easier if you deal with fonts.
