# DESIGN.md · Pixel fonts: Press Start 2P, Pixelify Sans, Silkscreen, VT323 (GP-004)

> Written for AI coding agents. Values marked **OFFICIAL** come from the documented source named below; values marked **ESTIMATED** were measured by us from our own screenshots and are approximate. Never treat ESTIMATED values as official brand tokens.

## Overview
- Type: Pixel Font Set · Category: K. Gaming and Pixel Art
- Platforms: Web
- Color theme: Monochrome light · Layout pattern: Documentation · Mood: Retro, legible at size
- License / terms: SIL Open Font License 1.1 (all four families, per their google/fonts METADATA and OFL.txt)

Four open-licensed bitmap-style families for game UI: Press Start 2P (8-bit arcade), Pixelify Sans (variable-weight pixel sans), Silkscreen (small-caps HUD labels) and VT323 (terminal). Specimen set by us.

### Analysis (ours)
Our capture of the Press Start 2P specimen on Google Fonts and our own specimen sheet. The four families cover different jobs: Press Start 2P for titles and scores, Pixelify Sans for longer UI text (it has real weights), Silkscreen for tiny caps labels, VT323 for terminal/console moods. Strength: OFL means you can self-host, subset and ship them in a game. Risk: pixel fonts only look sharp at multiples of their design size; in between they blur.

### Best practices (ours)
- Use pixel fonts at whole multiples of their design size (Press Start 2P looks right at 8, 16, 24 px) and switch off smoothing where the platform allows (OURS, see our specimen).
- Pick Pixelify Sans when you need weights: it is a variable font (wght axis), unlike the other three (OFFICIAL, google/fonts METADATA).
- Check language coverage first: Press Start 2P includes Cyrillic and Greek subsets, Silkscreen only Latin and Latin-ext (OFFICIAL, METADATA subsets).
- Self-host with the OFL.txt next to the files; the OFL lets you bundle them in a game but not sell them on their own (OFFICIAL, https://openfontlicense.org/).

### Deep analysis
Values marked OFFICIAL come from the cited official page, README, licence file or package metadata, fetched 2026-10-24 (UTC+8). ESTIMATED values were measured by us that day (CSS file sizes from unpkg, class and colour counts, contrast ratios). OURS is our interpretation, not legal advice.

#### The four families (OFFICIAL) · source: https://github.com/google/fonts/tree/main/ofl/
- Press Start 2P: designer CodeMan38, OFL, added to Google Fonts 2012-04-04, weight 400, subsets incl. Cyrillic and Greek.
- Pixelify Sans: Stefie Justprince, OFL (© 2021), added 2023-09-13, variable wght axis.
- Silkscreen: Jason Kottke, OFL (© 2001), added 2022-06-23, weights 400 and 700, Latin only.
- VT323: Peter Hull, OFL (© 2011), added 2011-03-02, weight 400.

#### Licence (OFFICIAL) · source: https://openfontlicense.org/
- SIL Open Font License 1.1: use, bundle and modify; the fonts may not be sold by themselves; ‘Press Start 2P’ is a Reserved Font Name, so a modified version must be renamed.

#### How to choose (OURS) · source: https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Pixelify+Sans
- Titles and scores: Press Start 2P. Body UI in a pixel style: Pixelify Sans. Tiny HUD labels: Silkscreen. Terminal/console flavour: VT323.
- Always test at the final scale; pixel fonts blur at non-integer sizes.

### Usage terms at a glance (our summary, not legal advice)
- Commercial use: Yes (OFL)
- Attribution: Not required in UI; ship OFL.txt with font files
- Redistribution: Yes, bundled with software; not sold on their own
- How you get it: Google Fonts CSS API or TTF files from github.com/google/fonts

## Color tokens
No official color tokens documented for this entry.

ESTIMATED · dominant colors measured from our screenshot(s) of the source site (median-cut quantization; share = % of pixels). Approximate, not official:

- `#FFFFFF` ~67%
- `#181818` ~5%
- `#AAAFB4` ~4%
- `#E5EAF0` ~3%
- `#334258` ~2%

## Typography
No official type scale documented for this entry; use the product’s own typography guidance.

## Spacing, radii, shadows
Not documented for this entry. Do not invent values; derive from your own design system.

## Components
- Title / score type
- HUD labels
- Dialogue text
- Terminal / console text

## Layout rules
- Observed layout pattern: **Documentation** (from our captures).

## Usage
```
<link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Press+Start+2P&family=Pixelify+Sans:wght@400..700&family=Silkscreen:wght@400;700&family=VT323&display=swap" rel="stylesheet">
h1{font-family:'Press Start 2P',monospace;font-size:16px}  /* use integer multiples of the design size */
body{-webkit-font-smoothing:none}
```

## Do’s and don’ts
- Do: Keep chrome neutral and let content (images, icons, type) carry color.
- Don’t: Don’t introduce decorative color that competes with content.
- Do: follow the source’s license/terms listed above.
- Don’t: present ESTIMATED colors as official tokens.

## Sources
- https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Press+Start+2P
- Library entry: https://design-library-byt.pages.dev/entry/GP-004