Can Changing Fronts Help Your Eyes? What JetBrains Says

by 10 Best Design

If you feel your eyes straining to read the projects you are working on, or if you notice yourself making typing mistakes as you code or add notes, this may be a good time to start looking for a new typeface to install on your terminal apps or text editors. JetBrains, a respected purveyor of neat tools for coders, recently released Mono, a new font that is really easy on the eyes. At first sight, JetBrains Mono looks like a copy of Fira Code, a typeface that many web development professionals swear by, but once you test drive this new font, you will notice that it makes reading and scanning very comfortable.

JetBrains is a Czech technology company that has been serving the development community since the year 2000. If your first introduction to JetBrains is the Mono font, be sure to check out everything else they have to offer. Mono can be installed in just about any integrated development environment, and you will likely find it very clean in terms of spacing, kerning, and ligatures. This is a free and open source font; if you are into digital typography, you can contribute to its future development.

One thing you will notice about JetBrains Mono is that it looks taller than other fonts commonly used by developers; this is part of a trend that has been adopted by Microsoft and Google for their user interface design guidelines. This slightly taller typeface makes it seem friendly and relaxing. If you are still using the default Ubuntu Monospace commonly found in Linux terminal environments, here are some alternatives besides the new JetBrains Mono:

  • Courier: You can never go wrong with this old school typeface, but most users confess that retro styling is the main reason they choose it. In terms of readability, there are better options.

  • Inconsolata: Based on the classic Consolas typeface, the stylish Inconsolata was designed by respected typographers.

  • Fira Code: This is what all the cool kids have been using in recent years, but it is often challenged by others such as Victor, Hack, and Operator. For more information click here https://www.jetbrains.com/lp/mono/.