Classifications of Fonts

_OLD STYLE: 
             -greater contrast between thick and thin strokes.
             -the serifs on the ascenders are more wedge shaped 
             -diagonal stress (the thinnest parts of letters are at an angle rather than at the top and bottom)
             
EX: Bembo, Garamond, Centaur, Palatino, Century Oldstyle


_TRANSITIONAL
             -axis  of the thick-thin contrast is almost vertical or slopes very slightly to the left
             -base serifs are only a little or virtually not rounded  at the bottom
             -the vertical stance is almost always the case for the lowercase ) but not for the lowercase e.
             -lowercase e has a horizontal cross-bar
             -the top serifs of lowercase letters are roof-shaped


EX: Baskerville, Fournier, Caledonia, Times New Roman, Utopia.


_ Modern - Late neoclassical seriffed types.  Bodoni is seen as the major modern font.  The font is very symmetrical and has balanced proportions.  Strong emphasis on the vertical stroke, sharp contrasts, symmetry, and sharp transitions to the straight serifs, which are as thin as the thin parts of the letter.  Axis of the thick-thin contrast is vertical.  Examples  are Didot, Bodoni, Walbaum, and Linotype Centennial.

_ Slab Serif - Hardly any thick-thin contrasts.  Clarendon is so typical for this group that in some English classifications slab-serif is replaced by Clarendon.  Derived from humanists and didones.   This font has heavy rectangular  serifs that are as thick as the letters themselves.  Serifs are the defining characteristic of slab-serifs.  Differences in the subdivision are most clearly visible in the lowercase letters.  Examples are Antique, the first Clarendon, Beton, Memphis, PMN, and Serifa.



_ Sans Serif: grotesque - 

• It was originally coined by William Thorowgood of Fann Street Foundry, the first person to produce a sans-serif type with lower case, in 1832
• The name came from the Italian word 'grottesco', meaning 'belonging to the cave'
•  There is some contrast in thickness of strokes. They have squareness of curve, and curling close-set jaws
• The R usually has a curled leg and the G is spurred. The ends of the curved strokes are usually horizontal
• Examples of grotesque fonts: Grotesque No. 6, Condensed Sans No. 7, Monotype Headline Bold, Franklin Gothic, Akzidez Grotesk

Sans-Serif Humanist:

• No serifs
• Line widths are visually equal
• Extension on lowercase 'e' points to right instead of turning toward the cross-bar
• Lowercase 'g' often has classic form with two 'bowls'
• Characters have more distinguishing forms than those of other sans-serifs
• Examples: Gill Sans, Profile, Frutiger, Scala, Myriad

Sans-Serif Geometric:

• No serifs
• Axis of roundings is vertical
• Letters seem to have been drawn using ruler and compass
• Line thicknesses are only visually and minimally corrected
• Examples: Futura, Avenir, DTL Nobel, Erbar, Eurostile