Insight
Fonts, I Get It… But What Exactly Is a Web Font?
If you are reading this article, you are probably familiar with the term “font.” But what about a web font—a font with “web” attached to it? Today, I would like to talk about the somewhat unfamiliar concept of web fonts. In fact, we introduced web fonts once before in a previous article*, but this time, I would like to explain them in a more intuitive and accessible way from a marketer’s perspective.
*Faster Web Fonts Optimized for Hangul (Link)
In one sentence, I would define a web font as: “A technology that displays the font you want in a web browser, without requiring the font to be installed.”
SandollCloud YouTube – SandollCloud Web Font Guide
Do We Really Need to Use Web Fonts?
Let’s think from the perspective of a website user. Even on the same website, fonts often look different on Windows and macOS. This is because default fonts vary depending on the operating system and device. In other words, the same website may not deliver the same experience to every user. By using web fonts, however, it becomes possible to provide a consistent user experience regardless of operating system or device. (This is because web fonts are loaded from the cloud rather than being stored directly on the website.)
Web fonts are also a ray of light for practitioners like me, who are constantly racing against time. In real-world work, problems arise all the time: a typo is discovered on a website that must launch tomorrow, or a Korean design arrives just before the deadline and suddenly three additional language versions are required. With web fonts, these issues can be handled quickly. Instead of asking a designer for revisions, only the text applied on the image needs to be changed. (Eureka!)
Sounds Interesting. So What Is the Difference Between Web Fonts and “SandollCloud Web Fonts”?
Using web fonts comes with several advantages beyond those mentioned above. Since menus and descriptive text are recognized as actual text, web fonts are beneficial for search engine optimization. There is no need for cumbersome tag work, and website translation becomes much easier, making it convenient to operate sites for global audiences. For example, if a website is run in Korean, English, and Chinese, traditional workflows require three separate image designs. With web fonts, the text changes instantly with a single click.
In addition to these general advantages of web fonts, SandollCloud Web Fonts offer several distinctive benefits. In fact, among users who experienced the service through the open beta*, approximately 90% chose to convert to paid plans. This suggests that they felt clear advantages over other web font solutions. These advantages can be grouped into four categories.
SandollCloud Web Font Services underwent stability testing through closed beta and open beta services before being officially launched in August 2023.
A Wide Range of Font Options
While open-source web fonts are limited in variety, SandollCloud Web Fonts support approximately 780 Sandoll fonts, allowing designers to implement a wide range of styles on their websites.
Reasonable Cost
SandollCloud Web Fonts allow users to choose plans based on the required period and traffic, with flexible subscription options. Compared to traditional font embedding contracts, this results in significant cost savings. (Assuming one year of use, traditional embedding contracts typically cost around KRW 1–2 million, whereas SandollCloud Web Fonts cost around KRW 400,000 under the Standard plan.) Monthly subscriptions are also available, making this especially cost-effective for short-term event or promotional pages.
*For detailed pricing by plan: SandollCloud Web Fonts (Link)
SandollCloud YouTube – SandollCloud Web Font Guide
Lightweight and Fast Delivery
Instead of loading all 11,172 Hangul characters, only the characters actually used on the website are called, enabling fast and lightweight font delivery. This minimizes website loading times and provides users with a positive experience.
*SandollCloud Web Font lightweighting and security technology patent registered in 2022
Security and Stability
SandollCloud Web Fonts have secured service stability through extensive testing in various environments—such as global fan sites, game promotion sites, and high-traffic promotional event sites—via closed and open beta programs. In addition, because only glyph data (excluding duplicate characters) is transmitted, the text content itself cannot be reconstructed, ensuring safety even for security-sensitive websites.
What Types of Companies Commonly Use SandollCloud Web Fonts?
Looking at companies that use SandollCloud Web Fonts, many are those expanding into global markets or industries that must quickly reflect trends, such as gaming, beauty, and entertainment. Prominent examples include event pages for Riot Games’ popular online game League of Legends and promotional pages for SHINee’s 8th full-length album, among many well-known domestic and international companies.
*View more case studies (Link)
Among these, we conducted a short Q&A with a member of SM Entertainment’s product team, who used SandollCloud Web Fonts for an artist album promotion.
SHINee 8th Full Album Promotion Website
Q1. What led you to use SandollCloud Web Fonts?
As a designer, I consider SandollCloud Gureumdari to be one of the most helpful tools for easily applying Hangul fonts. With a wide variety of Hangul fonts and fast application, I use it frequently whenever Hangul fonts are needed. For this website promotion, we needed a font for Hangul scripts, which led us to use SandollCloud Web Fonts.
Q2. Where did you use SandollCloud Web Fonts?
They were applied across the Korean scripts on the promotional website “bring the shine” for SHINee’s 8th full-length album HARD.
Q3. What did you like most after using SandollCloud Web Fonts?
Because the promotion targeted a global fan base, we had concerns about the server environment prior to launch. The website itself was 3D-based, with limited allocated capacity. Since SandollCloud Web Fonts do not require font files to be downloaded and embedded on the server, but instead host the required fonts as needed, the file size remains small. This allowed the site to run smoothly even when many fans accessed it simultaneously.
I’d Like to Try SandollCloud Web Fonts. Is There a Free Trial?
Seeing is believing. SandollCloud Web Fonts offer a free trial (1 month with 1GB usage included). The idea is to let users experience the convenience and benefits firsthand. This makes it a great choice for web designers seeking more expressive freedom, web agencies prioritizing time and cost efficiency, web publishers aiming to improve workflow efficiency, and marketers concerned with search optimization.
*Step-by-step guide to SandollCloud Web Fonts! Video guide (Link)
*Learn more about SandollCloud Web Fonts! Official website (Link)
SandollCloud YouTube – SandollCloud Web Font Guide
Insight
Fonts, I Get It… But What Exactly Is a Web Font?
If you are reading this article, you are probably familiar with the term “font.” But what about a web font—a font with “web” attached to it? Today, I would like to talk about the somewhat unfamiliar concept of web fonts. In fact, we introduced web fonts once before in a previous article*, but this time, I would like to explain them in a more intuitive and accessible way from a marketer’s perspective.
*Faster Web Fonts Optimized for Hangul (Link)
In one sentence, I would define a web font as: “A technology that displays the font you want in a web browser, without requiring the font to be installed.”
Do We Really Need to Use Web Fonts?
Let’s think from the perspective of a website user. Even on the same website, fonts often look different on Windows and macOS. This is because default fonts vary depending on the operating system and device. In other words, the same website may not deliver the same experience to every user. By using web fonts, however, it becomes possible to provide a consistent user experience regardless of operating system or device. (This is because web fonts are loaded from the cloud rather than being stored directly on the website.)
Web fonts are also a ray of light for practitioners like me, who are constantly racing against time. In real-world work, problems arise all the time: a typo is discovered on a website that must launch tomorrow, or a Korean design arrives just before the deadline and suddenly three additional language versions are required. With web fonts, these issues can be handled quickly. Instead of asking a designer for revisions, only the text applied on the image needs to be changed. (Eureka!)
Sounds Interesting. So What Is the Difference Between Web Fonts and “SandollCloud Web Fonts”?
Using web fonts comes with several advantages beyond those mentioned above. Since menus and descriptive text are recognized as actual text, web fonts are beneficial for search engine optimization. There is no need for cumbersome tag work, and website translation becomes much easier, making it convenient to operate sites for global audiences. For example, if a website is run in Korean, English, and Chinese, traditional workflows require three separate image designs. With web fonts, the text changes instantly with a single click.
In addition to these general advantages of web fonts, SandollCloud Web Fonts offer several distinctive benefits. In fact, among users who experienced the service through the open beta*, approximately 90% chose to convert to paid plans. This suggests that they felt clear advantages over other web font solutions. These advantages can be grouped into four categories.
SandollCloud Web Font Services underwent stability testing through closed beta and open beta services before being officially launched in August 2023.
A Wide Range of Font Options
While open-source web fonts are limited in variety, SandollCloud Web Fonts support approximately 780 Sandoll fonts, allowing designers to implement a wide range of styles on their websites.
Reasonable Cost
SandollCloud Web Fonts allow users to choose plans based on the required period and traffic, with flexible subscription options. Compared to traditional font embedding contracts, this results in significant cost savings. (Assuming one year of use, traditional embedding contracts typically cost around KRW 1–2 million, whereas SandollCloud Web Fonts cost around KRW 400,000 under the Standard plan.) Monthly subscriptions are also available, making this especially cost-effective for short-term event or promotional pages.
*For detailed pricing by plan: SandollCloud Web Fonts (Link)
SandollCloud YouTube – SandollCloud Web Font Guide
Lightweight and Fast Delivery
Instead of loading all 11,172 Hangul characters, only the characters actually used on the website are called, enabling fast and lightweight font delivery. This minimizes website loading times and provides users with a positive experience.
*SandollCloud Web Font lightweighting and security technology patent registered in 2022
Security and Stability
SandollCloud Web Fonts have secured service stability through extensive testing in various environments—such as global fan sites, game promotion sites, and high-traffic promotional event sites—via closed and open beta programs. In addition, because only glyph data (excluding duplicate characters) is transmitted, the text content itself cannot be reconstructed, ensuring safety even for security-sensitive websites.
What Types of Companies Commonly Use SandollCloud Web Fonts?
Looking at companies that use SandollCloud Web Fonts, many are those expanding into global markets or industries that must quickly reflect trends, such as gaming, beauty, and entertainment. Prominent examples include event pages for Riot Games’ popular online game League of Legends and promotional pages for SHINee’s 8th full-length album, among many well-known domestic and international companies.
*View more case studies (Link)
Among these, we conducted a short Q&A with a member of SM Entertainment’s product team, who used SandollCloud Web Fonts for an artist album promotion.
SHINee 8th Full Album Promotion Website
I’d Like to Try SandollCloud Web Fonts. Is There a Free Trial?
Seeing is believing. SandollCloud Web Fonts offer a free trial (1 month with 1GB usage included). The idea is to let users experience the convenience and benefits firsthand. This makes it a great choice for web designers seeking more expressive freedom, web agencies prioritizing time and cost efficiency, web publishers aiming to improve workflow efficiency, and marketers concerned with search optimization.
*Step-by-step guide to SandollCloud Web Fonts! Video guide (Link)
*Learn more about SandollCloud Web Fonts! Official website (Link)
SandollCloud YouTube – SandollCloud Web Font Guide