Behind the Font

Font formats determine how type is stored, rendered, and delivered across different platforms. Choosing the right format can affect design integrity, performance, and licensing compliance. In this 2026 guide, we'll explain the key differences between TTF, OTF, WOFF, and WOFF2, showing where each fits within modern workflows — whether for print, desktop, or web.

By understanding these formats, designers, developers and brand managers can ensure consistent typography, faster load times and future-ready type experiences. 

In part 3 of Behind the Font, our Senior Vice President and Assistant General Counsel, Phil Carey-Bergren, and host, Carl Unger, discuss the implications of breaching font licenses, the significance of copyright, and what to do if you accidentally breach a contract or misuse a font license. Tune in now.

In part 2 of Behind the Font, our Senior Vice President and Assistant General Counsel, Phil Carey-Bergren, and host, Carl Unger, dissect the main parts of a font license and walk us through some common font licensing use cases you might see at work. Tune in now.

In the first-ever edition of our new podcast miniseries series Behind the Font, we dive in to the often murky and mysterious waters of font licensing. In part one, we get a crash course in recent font history to understand how licenses have evolved and why this matters to today's brands, designers, and agencies. Tune in now.