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Are there any typefaces possessing all of the following characteristics?

  • Vox-ATypI classical, modern, or glyphic
  • I, l and 1 mutually distinct & identifiable without reference to each other
  • rn and m very mutually distinct
  • a and o very mutually distinct
  • single-storey g
  • lining numerals
  • not monospaced
  • available under an FSF-approved font license.

If so, which one(s), and how did you find it/them?

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  • 1
    Most serif fonts fit all your criteria except the single-storey g, which, unfortunately, fits almost no (non-italic) serif fonts, except as an alternate. So you’re probably looking at standard sans-serifs or slabs with distinct I/l/1 and rn/m pairs. Something like SIL’s Andika may fit your needs (not sure if the single storey ɡ is an alternate glyph or not in Andika, but it’s definitely available).
    – Janus Bahs Jacquet
    Commented Nov 11, 2015 at 20:36
  • @JanusBahsJacquet nice suggestion. Assuming I can get the alternate glyphs to work, this seems to tick all the boxes. Thanks!
    – user10832
    Commented Nov 13, 2015 at 1:29
  • @JanusBahsJacquet You should submit that as an answer and get delicious reputation
    – leinaD_natipaC
    Commented Jan 20, 2016 at 13:45

2 Answers 2

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Just to get this off the unanswered list, and since my comment appears to have been useful:

Most of the actual typographical requirements listed in this question will be matched by most fonts on the market; there are just one or two deal-breakers that are largely type-dependent:

  • Serif fonts rarely have single-storey g’s (except sometimes as an alternate)
  • Sans-serifs frequently don’t distinguish l/1/I clearly
  • Slabs frequently either have no single-storey g or do not distinguish l/1/I clearly (or both)

Single-storey g’s are very rare in serifs, though, while sans-serifs (and slabs) that distinguish l/1/I clearly are more common, so they’re an easier option to look for.

Really, the licencing may prove to be the tougher nut to crack here, since fonts licenced with an FSF-approved font licence make up a rather small part of the total number of available fonts.

One that may fit your needs is Andika by SIL. Its licence is FSF-approved and it matches all the typographical requirements (though I’m not sure if the single-storey g is an alternate or not).

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  • Andika does indeed use a single story g as its default(not an alternative). I've found it to be a rather difficult font to use though--it reminds me of a children's story book.
    – Scribblemacher
    Commented May 11, 2016 at 11:55
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Wow, that's an exacting set of requirements. And you want this for free!?

But EB Garamond 12 has all of what you want, but as alternates: it has lining figures available as an option and a single-story 'g' included as an alternate. You'd have to reprogram it in a font editor or use HTML code to make the alternate 'g' and lining figures the defaults.

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  • Thanks :) Sadly, to me the l in EB Garamond could be mistaken for a 1 if the context does not make its meaning clear. Likewise, the 1 could be mistaken for an I. I have still upvoted your answer, as it goes some way towards answering my question, but Janus Bahs Jacquet's suggestion of Andika still seems to be a better fit for my requirements.
    – user10832
    Commented May 11, 2016 at 11:26

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