What is Google Fonts' "Display" category / "Display font"

Question

While browsing the Google Fonts I've noticed first filter contains these categories:

• Serif Sans
• Serif
• Display
• Handwriting

I know what the (Sans)Serif and Handwriting categories are (thats pretty obvious) but what exactly does the display category filter? Im just guessing it is good for display view but in what way? What is "the display font" ?

Thanks in advance :) !

Answer 1

I just happened to be reading a book "Letters of Credit" by Walter Tracy and there's a great line worth quoting: Text types when enlarged can be used for headings; display types, if reduced, cannot be used for text setting.

Answer 2

The filter that you see is "Typefaces".

So the fonts are families and certain fonts are classified under certain typefaces. Wikipedia has an extensive article on Typefaces.

Wikipedia Link

However what you are interested in is the "Display typeface". Check out this list of display typefaces.

Display type refers to the use of type at large sizes, perhaps 30 points or larger. Some typefaces are considered useful solely at display sizes, and hence are known as display faces.

Answer 3

“Display font” is an informal concept that refers to fonts regarded as suitable (or even designed) for use in “display texts” as opposite to normal copy text that typically appears in paragraphs. Headings, headlines, logos, short slogans or quotes rendered as separate blocks, and texts in signs and plates can be regardes as “display texts”.

If you check the list of fonts you get by selecting “Display” only in the filter, you will see a variety of fonts, often with strong features, perhaps artistic and expressionistic, often with special letter forms – things you might use in a heading, but (hopefully) not in the bulk of copy text.