Verdana is a humanist sans-serif typeface designed by Matthew Carter for Microsoft Corporation, with hand-hinting done by Agfa Monotype’s Tom Rickner. Demand for such a typeface was recognized by Virginia Howlett of Microsoft's typography group.
The name Verdana is a mix of verdant (something green, as in the Seattle area and the Evergreen state, Washington), and Ana (the name of Virginia's eldest daughter). Released in 1996, Verdana was bundled with subsequent versions of Microsoft's Windows operating system, as well as their Office and Internet Explorer software on both Windows and Mac OS. In addition, it was long available for download from Microsoft's web site allowing it to be used by any system supporting TrueType fonts.