Typography Classifications

Serifs, Sans Serifs, Etc.

Old Style

Styled after classic Roman inscriptions. Weight stress of rounded forms is at an angle. Unified with the stroke by a tapered, curved line. The tops of serifs on lowercase letters are at an angle. (SERIF)

Transitional

Greater contrast between thick and thin strokes than Old Style. Serifs tend to be sharper. Lowercase serifs are more horizontal than in Old Style and the typefaces are traditionally wider

Modern

Extreme contrast between thick and thin strokes. Serifs are very sharp, thin, nearly straight and completely flat. Weight stress on rounded characters is vertical, serifs are made up of long/thin hairlines that join the stem of the letter at right angles

Humanist

Became common in the twentieth century. Note a small tilting counter and small calligraphic variation in line weight

Transitional

Little changes in line weight in the glyphs, and they feature a more of a vertical axis compared to humanist characters

Geometric

Built around geometric forms. Example: Futura the Os are perfect circles, peaks of As and Ms are sharp triangles

Slab Serif/Egyptian/Square Serif

Numerous bold and decorative typefaces were introduced in the nineteenth century for use in advertising. Have heavy, slab like serifs

Script

Designed to create hand-writing or hand-lettering effect. Popular for formal announcements and invitations

Blackletter/Gothic/Text

Original letterform used by Gutenburg. Derived from hand drawn letters of early scribes

Decorative/Display/Special

Typefaces used to command attention or create special effects, often at expense of readability.