Back towards the Spring of 2023, TikTok rolled out a new font across its platform.
Despite the change having very little impact on the functional operation of the app or the way it’s used by creators and browsers, the change did transform the aesthetic presentation of TikTok content. This has left many questioning why the change happened in the first place.
The old font was called Proxima Nova, with the new one being developed as a custom font called TikTok Sans.
Keep reading for the main reasons and motivations behind the change.
3 Reasons Why TikTok Changed Its Font
The New Font Was Determined as Easier to Read
First and foremost, TikTok Sans is deliberately bigger with a larger line height and more open letters – making the different letters and words easier to distinguish.
The aim is that by making the font easier to read, retention across the app will be increased. Not to mention, the entire TikTok experience will be deemed as more accessible, as a result of making the font easier to read and understand.
The New Font Allowed TikTok to Bolster Its Anti-spoofing Features
TikTok, like so many popular apps and online platforms, is often subject to spoofing and fake content. By creating its own font that is accessible only via the app, TikTok has made it harder for counterfeit creators to develop spoof content that they can seemingly link back to TikTok.
The idea of this is that the change in font should make it harder for hackers and con artists to create realistic fake TikTok videos and content, as they will be unable to map and access an exact match in font.
TikTok Sans Supports Various Languages
Finally, under the assumption that TikTok is accessed all over the world and is therefore translated into countless languages, TikTok Sans was developed to support characters and letters from all manner of global languages.
This makes for a more cohesive experience regardless of where and how you access the TikTok app.
What these three motivations tell us is that, despite the change in font being a relatively small adjustment behind the scenes at TikTok, the change actually has a huge impact on how the app is used and accessed by creators and users. Is the font change something that you specifically noticed, or have you only no started to recognise some of the features mentioned in this blog?
