Font Classification

Font Classification: a system to classify typefaces; based on a historical approach (classics, modern and others)

Old Style
– 1475
– based on handwriting
– contrast between thick and thin strokes is more pronounced
– slight diagonal stress
– shorter x-height
– scooped serifs, sturdy without being heavy
(also called Gerald) generally considered "warm" or friendly
-main characteristics: low contrast with diagonal stress and cove or "bracketed" serifs
-Bembo, Carlson, Garamond

Transitional
– 1750
– contrast between thick and thin strokes is more pronounced
– very slight diagonal stress
– bracketed serifs
– tall x-height

Baskerville, Caslon, Perpetua

Modern
Modern typefaces came about with copper and steel engraving techniques in the 17th and 18th Century. The appearance is technical exact. Modern types are named Didone after Didot and Bodoni, radically abstract, the thin, straight serifs; vertical axis; and sharp contrast from thick to thin strokes.

– 1775
– extreme contrast between thick and thin strokes
– flat unbracketed serifs
– hairline serifs
– no horizontal stress
– mathematical construction /measurements
– no influence by handwriting

Bodoni, Bauer Bodoni

Slab Serif
classified in serifs, their defined by their thick square-ended serifs.

– early 1800's
– mono weight
– square ended serifs
– no stress
– bold machine like (industrial age/industrial revolution)
– uniform serifs
– bold display font (used at large sizes)
– rectangular
– geometric impact

Serifa, Rockwell, Memphis Clarendon

Sans Serif: Geometric
Sans-serif typefaces influenced by the Bauhaus movement and featuring circular or geometric letters, with little variation in stroke thickness.

Futura, Foilio, Gotham, Avant Garde

Script
like handwriting, script letters are infinitely differnt; strive to translate fluid and imperfect mark you get with pen on paper
-can be catagroized formal or casual, flowing vs. nonflowing, or tool used
- Bickham Script, Sonora, Choc

Blackletter
one of the most used and versitile typographic choices
-newspapers, labels, used for more than 600 years
- gradual and diverse evolution from the hand crafted scribes in the 19th century
- Fraktur, Rotunda, Textura

Grunge
scratchy typefaces, (early 1990's-2000's) - parallel to Grunge music movement
- no clear definition but share a jarring aesthetic and philosophy that contrasts with conventional classic typography
- dead history, Fallen Thyme, Turbo Ripped

Monospaced
-cue from typewriters where all letters conform to a specific physical width, resulting in letterforms that must expand or condense to make the best use out of the space - also known as "nonproportional" in contrast to normal typefaces, where each character has a differnt width.
- spaced perfectly even
- odd spacing, unusual letterforms, futuristic letterforms
-Courier, Orator, Ocr A

Undeclared
-two typefaces, optima and Copperplate gothic are uncatagorized with their flared serifs attached to san serif structures