Why did the fi or fl letters in my wordmark merge after choosing another font?

Check the characters before moving them

Copy the exact approved brand spelling into a plain text note. Compare it with the live text object in the external design file. A ligature can replace two characters with one visual glyph without deleting either character. A generated raster image, by contrast, may simply contain malformed lettering.

Do not diagnose both situations with the same repair. If the text object is correct, inspect its font and OpenType settings. If only pixels exist, there is no ligature switch to recover. Arrange a faithful typeset wordmark in an external editor instead of claiming the image contains editable characters.

Compare substitutions with a fixed font and size

Adobe Illustrator documents ligatures and contextual alternates as font-dependent substitutions. Compare them while keeping the font, weight, size, and tracking unchanged. Turning off one substitution first gives useful evidence; changing fonts and spacing simultaneously obscures which decision altered the letter shape.

Review both a large proof and the actual small application, such as a shop avatar or label. A joined form can be elegant at large size yet hard to identify at small size. The decision concerns recognition of the real brand spelling, not a universal rule that ligatures are good or bad.

1. Record the approved spelling as plain text.
2. Identify whether the artwork contains editable text or pixels.
3. Make matched proofs with ligatures enabled and disabled.
4. Check contextual alternates separately if needed.
5. Approve spelling and recognition before outlining a delivery copy.

A fictional fi wordmark exercise

Fictional exercise: a label named Filo uses a font that connects the f and i. The owner thinks the dot has vanished. The reviewer keeps the font constant, toggles the ligature, and creates two proofs with equal size and spacing. This is an illustrative comparison, not a measured audience study.

If the disconnected version restores the intended reading, record that setting in the approved design file. If both versions remain confusing, review another font as a separate decision. Stop manual spacing changes until the glyph choice is settled; otherwise the team may try to fix a substitution with awkward gaps.

Preserve the approved glyph choice in handoff

Keep a live-text master with the font name, version, and selected substitutions. For an outlined exchange copy, compare the resulting contours with that master. Outlining can preserve appearance for a recipient, but it removes the ability to toggle the original text setting later.

Itemlume can explore logo concepts, while this typographic proof belongs to an external design workflow. Its raster output does not supply fonts, OpenType controls, or permission to distribute a font file. Stop delivery when the recipient cannot identify the brand reliably; attractive joining is not a substitute for the correct name.

Glyph substitution proof

Use this matrix as a manual review record and add your own real evidence. Its conditions are not completed test results.

Download this question’s review worksheet (CSV)