Font Classifications

Old Style - Used late 15^th century to early 18^th century

Characteristics:

            Developed out of handwriting and stone inscription

Modest contrast between thick and thin strokes

Bracketed serifs

­slight diagonal axis 


shorter x-height

scooped serifs, sturdy without being heavy

Examples: Bembo, Caslon, Garamond, Jenson, Palatino

Transitional - Used early and mid 18^th century

Characteristics:

            Combination of old style characteristics and new styles.

contrast between thick and thin strokes is more pronounced

very slight diagonal stress

bracketed serifs

tall x-height

Examples: Baskerville, Caslon, Perpetua, Bulmer, Bell

Modern - Used late 18^th to early 19^th century

Characteristics:

            Even width amongst the characters.

extreme contrast between thick and thin strokes

flat unbracketed serifs

hairline serifs

no horizontal stress

mathematical construction /measurements


no influence by handwriting

Examples: Bodoni, Bauer Bodoni, Walbaum, Didone

Slab Serif - Used 19^th century

Characteristics:

            Large x-height

            Based on precise mathematical measurements

block-like serifs

            seldom used in body text, usually used in large headlines and advertisements

            Monoweight

            Rectangular

Examples: Rockwell, Courier, Memphis Clarendon, New Century Schoolbook

Sans Serif

Characteristics:

            usually blacker type color

            Standard in English typography

            Typically used for headlines rather than body text

Examples: Bauhaus, Bank Gothic, Century Gothic, Impact, Helvetica, Futura

Script – Used 18^th century

Characteristics:

            Based on the varied and fluid stroke created by handwriting

            Similar to cursive writing

            Looser, more casual scripts

Used for announcements, etc.

Examples: Monotype Corsiva, Brush Script, Lucinda Calligraphy, Apple Chancery, Coronet

Blackletter – used 14^th and 15^th centuries

Characteristics:

sometimes called Old English or Gothic script

uses letterspacing for distinction

tall, narrow letters

sharp, straight, angular lines

Examples: Fraktur, Cursiva, Hybrida, Schwabacher

Grunge

Characteristics:

            Weathered, worn, or grundgy appearance

Very extreme

Legibility is difficult

Examples: Scumbag, Inked God, Soul Mission, Black Oak, Ginga Font

Monospaced

Each letter and character occupy the same amount of horizontal space

The first monospaced fonts were designed for typewriters, which could only move the same space forward with each letter typed.

Non-proportional

The text will align more readily.

Crisp, clear characters

Examples: Monaco, Letter Gothic, Courier, Consolas, Andale Mono

Undeclared

Characteristics:

            Mix between other styles

Examples: Cooper Black, Gotham

DIDOT

Sans Serif or Serif - Serif

Name of the Designer – Firmin Didot

Date it was designed - 1783

Classification – Modern

List its family members: Roman, Italic, Bold...(small caps)

Baseline – invisible line on which the characters sit. Rounded letters such as e may extend below the baseline.

Cap height – distance from the baseline to the top of the uppercase letter.  

x-height – height of a lowercase “x”. It can vary between typefaces.

serif style – serif style typefaces have an extra stroke at the ends of a character, known as a serif. A serif only appears at the end of the main strokes of a letter-form.

stroke width – the thickness of the main diagonal part of a letter. A letter’s relative amount of blackness. Examples: Regular, light

final/terminal – the connection, usually curved, between a stroke and a serif.

barb – small “serifs” at the end of a curved letterform. Example: C, S

spur – A projection smaller than a serif that reinforces the point at the end of a curved stroke, such as G. A spur only occurs at the end of a curved letter-form.

ear – stroke attached to the bowl of the lowercase g. It can be a distinctive element of some typefaces.

loop – the open or enclosed counter. Examples: b, d, g, o, p, q.

link – curved connection between the bowl and the loop of a two-story g.

g one story or two story – g vs. g

tail – descending stroke of a Q. It extends below the baseline and does not contain serifs. Also the downward diagonal stoke on K or R.

apex – top part of a character where two strokes meet. It can be pointed, round, or cut off. Example: A

leg – lower, down sloping stroke of the K, k and R. It touches the baseline.