✨ Why the Same Font Can Look So Different — and How to Fix It

Can you spot the difference between these two pieces of text? They look different, right? But surprisingly, they're both using the same font. I discovered this while working on my portfolio site and browsing for design inspiration. That’s when I stumbled upon Brittany Chiang’s portfolio. Looks amazing, right? I really liked the typography. So I inspected the font and was shocked to find that it was Inter — the same font I used on my site. That left me wondering: Why does this same font look so much better on her site than on mine? I tried tweaking font weights and letter spacing, but something still felt off. Then I noticed it — the letter "a" looked different.

Jun 21, 2025 - 13:20
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✨ Why the Same Font Can Look So Different — and How to Fix It

Can you spot the difference between these two pieces of text?

A lowercase “a” character, rendered in two different glyphs from the same typeface: on the left, a two-story version; on the right, a single-story version. A line below each of the two shows that they are individual glyphs. A single line, above, is not highlighted, and represents “character.

They look different, right? But surprisingly, they're both using the same font.

I discovered this while working on my portfolio site and browsing for design inspiration. That’s when I stumbled upon Brittany Chiang’s portfolio.

Brittany Chiang's portfolio

Looks amazing, right?

I really liked the typography. So I inspected the font and was shocked to find that it was Inter — the same font I used on my site.

My personal website

That left me wondering:

Why does this same font look so much better on her site than on mine?

I tried tweaking font weights and letter spacing, but something still felt off.

Then I noticed it — the letter "a" looked different.