Verdana was designed specifically for the screen, with a large x-height, wide letters and generous spacing, to remain readable at small sizes on low-resolution screens.
At a glance
Origin: Microsoft, United States.
Designer: Matthew Carter, with Tom Rickner for the hinting.
Date: 1996.
Evolution
Distributed with Windows and the "Core fonts for the Web" program, it became one of the most widespread typefaces on the web in the 1990s and 2000s.
Famous examples
In 2009, IKEA dropped Futura for Verdana, a decision that sparked fierce controversy among designers.
Current use
It remains a safe choice for the screen and accessibility, although its width makes it less suited to print.
Alternatives
Tahoma, Open Sans, Frutiger.
Great typefaces glossary
Akzidenz-Grotesk, Arial, Avenir, Baskerville, Bodoni, Caslon, Circular, Cooper Black, Didot, DIN, FF Meta, Franklin Gothic, Frutiger, Futura, Garamond, Georgia, Gill Sans, Gotham, Graphik, Helvetica, IBM Plex, Inter, Minion, Montserrat, Myriad, Neue Haas Grotesk, Optima, Poppins, Roboto, Sabon, SF Pro, Source Sans, Source Serif, Times New Roman, Univers, Verdana