.retro-italic { font-family: 'Tahoma', 'Segoe UI', 'Geneva', sans-serif; font-style: italic; font-size: 11px; /* The sacred pixel size */ letter-spacing: 0px; text-rendering: geometricPrecision; /* To preserve that jagged edge */ } Slap that on a modal dialog box. Put it on a tooltip. Use it for a caption that you want to feel slightly off, slightly human.
The italic , however, is where the machine stutters. Most sans-serif italics are simply “obliques.” Take Arial, Helvetica, or MS Sans Serif. When you hit the I button, the computer doesn’t draw a new letterform. It just mathematically shears the upright letters. The result is a windblown version of the original—functional, but soulless. tahoma italic
But the regular weight is boring. It is the office manager of fonts: efficient, reliable, and forgettable. The italic , however, is where the machine stutters
I want to talk about . The Anatomy of a Workhorse First, a eulogy for the regular weight. Designed by the legendary Matthew Carter (the mind behind Verdana, Georgia, and Bell Centennial) in 1994, Tahoma was a response to the low-resolution screens of the mid-90s. While Arial was sterile and Times New Roman was crumbling at 12 pixels, Tahoma arrived with tight kerning, a tall x-height, and a distinctively humanist aperture. It just mathematically shears the upright letters