An italic typeface is a specific typographic design that features an angled posture, engineered almost exclusively to draw focus or create emphasis within a block of text. Rooted historically in handwriting styles, these letterforms provide a distinct visual counterpoint to standard upright characters.
It is important to differentiate italics from oblique typefaces; while obliques are merely standard upright letters mechanically tilted to one side, true italics feature a unique anatomy modeled directly after cursive handwriting. Because of this calligraphic influence, some italic variants deviate dramatically from their standard roman configurations, with striking disparities visible in font families such as Audela, Guka, Auge and Alkes.
When a layout lacks a dedicated, designer-created italic or oblique font style, computer applications may attempt to artificially skew the upright text to generate faux italics. Much like artificially thick bolds or computer-shrunken small caps, these automated distortions compromise design integrity and should be strictly avoided.
Enter your details to receive all trial fonts
We’ll send you a zipped file with all trial fonts, license agreement, and installation instructions.
