Facebook recently rolled out a new default font across its platform, switching from its long-standing “Meta Serif” to the new “Meta Serif Beta”. This change has been met with mixed reactions from users, many of whom have expressed strong opinions about the new font.
What was Facebook’s previous default font?
Prior to the recent switch, Facebook used a custom font called Meta Serif for many years. Meta Serif was designed exclusively for Facebook and implemented in 2010. It replaced Facebook’s previous default font, called Klavika.
Meta Serif was designed to be legible and friendly, reflecting Facebook’s brand identity. The font family included Book, Medium, Bold and Black variants, allowing for typographic flexibility across Facebook’s interface. Many users grew accustomed to Meta Serif as the Facebook font over the past decade.
Why did Facebook decide to change its font?
According to Facebook, the decision to switch the default font was driven by several factors:
- Readability – Meta Serif was designed when most Facebook usage was on desktop computers. The new Meta Serif Beta was optimized for legibility across desktop, mobile, apps and different screen sizes.
- Uniformity – Having a consistent font helps create a more uniform experience across Facebook’s family of apps and services.
- Accessibility – Meta Serif Beta was designed to support different languages and writing systems used by Facebook’s global community.
- Flexibility – The updated font gives Facebook more stylistic flexibility to evolve its brand identity.
Additionally, updating the font allows Facebook to incorporate over a decade of learning about how people interact with fonts on screens. The company utilized new techniques and technologies that have emerged since Meta Serif was first designed.
How was Meta Serif Beta developed?
Meta Serif Beta was created internally by Facebook’s design team in collaboration with Dalton Maag, a font foundry that has partnered with Facebook for over 15 years. The font was designed over a two-year period based on research around readability, typographic trends and design considerations.
Some key features of Meta Serif Beta’s design:
- Higher x-height for improved readability on screens
- More open counters and bowls to distinguish letter shapes
- Wider spacing and proportions
- Optimized for mobile use cases
- 7 weights from Extra Light to Black
- Expanded language support
The font family contains over 1000 glyphs and supports over 200 Latin-based languages. Extensive hinting was done for optimized rendering on desktop, mobile and low-resolution displays.
How has the new Facebook font been received?
Reactions to the new default Facebook font have been mixed:
- Some users have praised the updated look for being more modern, readable and aesthetically pleasing.
- Others have criticized the font change, claiming the new font is harder to read or looks cheap/generic.
- Many long-time Facebook users are lamenting the loss of the classic Meta Serif appearance.
- Others don’t have a strong reaction either way to the font change.
Here are some example opinions shared on social media:
| Positive Reactions | Negative Reactions |
|---|---|
| “The new Facebook font is much nicer looking.” | “Facebook’s new font is awful, too lightweight and dyslexia-unfriendly.” |
| “Good move by FB – font is more modern and feels faster.” | “I want the old Facebook font back, this new one sucks.” |
| “Loving the new @facebook font. Cleaner, more readable.” | “The new font is hard to read. Looks like cheap mobile typeface.” |
A Twitter poll with over 28k votes saw 47% preferring the old Meta Serif, 39% liking the new Meta Serif Beta and 14% having no preference.
When did the new font rollout begin?
Facebook started gradually rolling out Meta Serif Beta to users in January 2023. By the end of February 2023, the rollout was completed globally across Facebook’s apps and services, including:
- facebook.com website
- Facebook mobile apps
- Messenger
This two month transition period allowed users to progressively get accustomed to the new font, rather than having it changed overnight.
Will the old Facebook font ever come back?
According to Facebook, the Meta Serif redesign marks a long-term update that is here to stay. The company states they have no plans to revert back to the old Meta Serif font. However, user feedback will continue to be monitored and tweaks could be made over time.
It’s unlikely that Meta Serif will return as the default font unless an issue arises with Meta Serif Beta that can’t be resolved. Major brands seldom revert to old brand assets like fonts once they have been replaced.
Users who strongly prefer Meta Serif can still install browser extensions like FontFace Ninja or Stylebot to customize their Facebook font back to Meta Serif. But the old font will remain off by default on Facebook’s apps and sites.
Could Facebook introduce more font changes in the future?
Meta Serif Beta is expected to have a longer lifecycle than its predecessor Meta Serif. But Facebook could very well refresh its font again several years down the road.
Evolving the brand identity through typography changes allows Facebook to keep pace with design trends and improvements in font technology. It’s not unusual for major brands to update their core fonts every 5-10 years.
Future font changes would likely be incremental, building on Meta Serif Beta’s design. Drastic shifts are unlikely since the company invested heavily in developing its custom Meta Serif family.
More font changes could also happen if Facebook ever opts for a major rebranding effort. For now, Meta Serif Beta looks here to stay for the foreseeable future.
Conclusion
Facebook’s transition from Meta Serif to Meta Serif Beta as the platform’s default font marked a notable visual change after 10+ years of brand consistency. Motivations included improving readability, especially on mobile devices, and allowing for more design flexibility. Reactions have been mixed from users who either appreciate the new modernized aesthetic or pine for Meta Serif’s return. While Meta Serif is unlikely to become Facebook’s default font again, the company could very well evolve its typographic branding again several years down the road.
Going from a beloved legacy font that tens of millions of users were accustomed to, to an overhauled redesign, was inevitably going to generate divided opinions. But the rationale behind Meta Serif Beta’s development indicates Facebook’s focus on keeping its experience functional and engaging as use cases, technologies and design trends change over time. While the loss of Meta Serif feels monumental to some, Meta Serif Beta aims to lay the typographic groundwork for Facebook’s ongoing evolution.