Faux bold is a typographic technique used to create a bold effect on text or objects by applying a transformation to the original object. In Illustrator, faux bold is achieved by duplicating the original object, offsetting it, and then combining the two objects to create a bold effect. This technique is useful when a bold font is not available or when you want to create a custom bold effect.
In Illustrator, applying a faux bold tells the program: “Take the regular letterforms and add a stroke to their paths, then scale them slightly.” The result is visually heavier, but the underlying structure of the letters remains unchanged. illustrator faux bold
Adding a stroke is the most common way to "fake" a bold weight while keeping your text editable. Faux bold is a typographic technique used to
Faux bold is not without serious flaws. Understanding these will keep you out of trouble. In Illustrator, applying a faux bold tells the
| Issue | Explanation | Real-World Consequence | |-------|-------------|------------------------| | | Stroke contrast (thick/thin variation) is ignored. A ‘o’ gets thicker everywhere, losing its elegant thins. | Type looks clumsy, “blobby,” or amateurish. | | Tight spacing | Letter spacing is designed for the regular weight. Adding faux bold makes letters crowd together. | Words become harder to read; descenders may collide with ascenders. | | Broken counters | Small enclosed spaces (e.g., in ‘e’, ‘a’, ‘g’) can fill in or become uneven. | Legibility plummets, especially at small sizes. | | No optical adjustments | True bolds often have slightly different x-heights or terminal angles. Faux bold ignores all that. | The typeface family loses its cohesive voice. |
If you need a true bold, Instead: