Modern typefaces are best used for large print because they are so eye-catching. Modern FontsĪlso called Didone fonts, these fashionable fonts are from the 18th century and have characteristics such as high contrast of thin and thick strokes, vertical axis and “abrupt” serifs that are not bracketed. Garamond, Times New Roman, Minion Pro and Goudy Old Style are examples of old style fonts. Old style fonts often include numerals of varying heights and alignments and are therefore often used for addresses, times, prices, etc. There is usually small contrast between thin and thick strokes. This elegant typeface style is characterized with curved strokes, an offset axis and angled serifs. Old style typeface emulates traditional forms of writing, especially those that were handwritten using ink and a feather quill. Other popular examples include Futura, Arial, Verdana, Century Gothic and Univers(our graphic designer’s personal favorite). The most used font of all graphic design is the sans-serif Helvetica which is renowned for it’s versatility, simplicity and aesthetic. Sans-serif fonts are also better for smaller print and for young children learning to read. Their limited ornamentation makes sans-serif fonts easier to read on screens especially with large chunks of text. Sans-serif fonts are best for use on screens because serif letters can be hard to distinguish on low resolution screens. Subcategories for sans-serif fonts include grotesque, neo-grotesque, humanist and geometric. It seems like a small change, the removal of the dashes on the ends of individual letters, but it was a huge step in modernizing typeface and created an entirely new style which would eventually lead to thousands of new fonts. The first sans-serif font appeared in 1816 and spread quickly with the Sans Serif and Grotesque typefaces. Sans-serif fonts are characterized by having no serifs and very limited variation in stroke size. Serif fonts are best used for printed material because they make letters more legible and cause your eyes less fatigue because serifs are meant to smoothly guide your eye from one letter to the next. Some serif fonts you are probably familiar with include Times New Roman, Georgia and Garamond. There are several subcategories of serif fonts: humanist, old style, transitional, modern and slab. Johannes Gutenberg’s original typeface used in his invention of the movable type press was based off of this style and was used to mass produce books such as the Bible. Books were once painstakingly written by hand in Gothic style print, known today as Blackletter or Old English font. Serifs have been a part of writing since its inception and are usually associated with old style lettering inspired by calligraphy. Serif FontsĪ serif is the line at the end of a stroke on letters of certain typefaces. Here is some insight into several of the major categories of typeface styles and their characteristics. Understanding the principles of the different styles is essential when choosing the typeface that will optimize the desired effect. With all the different fonts to choose from, it may be a little overwhelming to figure out which one is best for you. Whether it’s website design, logo design or creating brochures and business cards, typography is extremely important and choosing the right typeface can make all the difference for any project. When it comes to marketing and design, even the smallest detail matters.
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