SERIF TYPEFACES


OLD STYLE
Characteristics:
- wedge shaped serifs
- more upright stress
- horizontal crossbar
FONTS:
- Bembo
- Berkeley Old Style
- Calisto
- Garamond
- Goudy Old Style

TRANSITIONAL
Characteristics:
- thick/thin contrast increases
- serifs become thinner
- base serifs are barely or not rounded at the bottom
FONTS:
- Bakersville
- Concord
- Times New Roman
- Century
- Georgia

MODERN
Characteristic:
- sharp contrasts
- serifs are as thin as the thin parts of the letters
- Symmetry and sharp transitions to the straight serifs
FONS:
- Didot
- Bodoni
- Walbaum
- Linotype Centennial
- Onyx

SLAB SERIF
Characteristics:
- little if any contrast between thick and thin
- usually have no bracket
- bold rectangular appearance, with sometimes fixed widths
FONTS:
- Clarendon
- Rockwell
- Courier
- Apex
- Cholla Slab

SANS TYPEFACES 

HUMANIST
Characteristics:
- Overall a more organic structure
- Low contrast between horizontals and verticals
- Short and thick bracketed serifs
FONTS:
- Verdana
- Allerta
- Calibri
- Gill Sans
- Tahoma

GOTESK & GOTHIC
Characteristics:
- some degree of contrast between thick and thin strokes
- terminals of curves are usually horizontal
- typeface frequently has a spurred "G" and an "R" with a curled leg
FONTS:
- Monotype 215
- Universe
- Franklin Gothic
- Akzidenz Grotesk
- Helvetica

GEOMETRIC
Characteristics:
- Constructed from simple geometric shapes
- Same curves and lines are repeated throughout letters
- Minimal differentiation between letters
FONTS:
- Futura
- Eurostile
- Avante Garde
- Erbar
- Neuceite Grotesque