Type Classification

Typeface or Type Font

You will hear the terms typeface and font used interchangeably. This is not quite accurate, but probably unavoidable because computer typesetting has blurred the distinction between the two. 

Typeface refers to a particular design of type, and each design has its own proper name. Times and Helvetica (Arial) are common typefaces, for example. Many typefaces come with a number of variations, for example Helvetica bold, Helvetica condensed Helvetica light, etc. All the different variations of a typeface are called a typeface family. 

The term font refers to the complete set of characters, including numbers, punctuation marks and special characters, in one specific point size, style and weight of a typeface. So, Helvetica is a typeface, not a font, but 14-point Helvetica condensed light oblique is a font.

In the old days, each font of type had to be manufactured individually, and there weren't so many available. Today, your computer can create dozens of fonts from a single typeface master. Font takes up less room than typeface on a computer's menu, so typeface is disappearing from use. But real typographers know the difference.

An important factor in the composition of a piece of printing is the selection of the correct type faces. Choosing the right type face makes clear the sense of the message, and imparts that atmosphere or environment which enables it to be more easily understood.

The number of type faces in use today runs into the thousands and as such presents difficulty in selecting the appropriate design for a particular job. Because there are so many type designs to choose from, it is easier to first choose a general type style or classification to suit your graphic design, and then, look for a particular type face that relates to that classification.

Serif Style (Roman)

Small decorative strokes that are added to the end o f a letter's main strokes are called serifs. These cross-lines at the end of a stroke are either: slab, wedge or hair.

Serifs improve readability by leading the eye along the line of type. Therefore, serifs are the best suited for body text. Serif faces are more difficult to read in small scale (smaller than 8pt) and in very large sizes.

Roman Capitals

  The lapidary (stone-engraved) capital letters of Roman Empirean period (100 BC to 500 AD).

Although the Roman alphabet took many forms, Capitalis Monumentalis (Roman capitals) have exerted the most influence on lettering and typographic development.  The most famous example is on Trajan's column from 114 AD.

  Centaur (Bruce Rogers 1915) Palatino (designed by Hermann Zapf in 1948)

Goudy Old Style (Frederic W. Goudy 1896–1941) Garamond (Claude Garamond 1480 - 1561)

Times (Stanley Morison 1889-1967) Baskerville (John Baskerville 1706-1775)

Italic

The upper and lower case roman alphabet acquired, since they were first used, an italic and bold companion letter. It was a different alphabet closer to handwriting than the roman, and was based on the handwritten script of the day. Designed centuries ago, it was the Venetian printer Aldus Manutius's designer, Francesco Griffo who not only refined the roman letter but also cut the first italic type face. As such, like the word 'roman' the word 'italic' credits Italy as the land of origin. It was coined by the French and was not capitalized.

Today, italics may be based on serif, sans serif or slab serif types. While the slant of the italic will vary, a good standard is about 78º.

Digitized typesetting devices that modify characters electronically to create italic are creating matching italics, although purists will call them 'oblique'.

Italic differs from Script in that the letters never join nor do they appear to join. They have a free flowing appearance creating daintiness, charm or action which makes them ideal for gaining attention in text or headings.

Today it is used for emphasis, titles, quotes and extracts. Italic is not as legible as roman when used as paragraph matter and is therefore not recommended for large areas of setting. All capital italic lines are to be avoided.

Horace, Works. (Venice, 1501) Aldus Manutius, printer

1515 A.D., Venice. Lucretius. Printed by Aldus Manutius.

Note the practice of printing each line of poetry with a roman, rather than italic, letter at the start of the line.

Slab Serif (Egyptian)

The Industrial Revolution of the early nineteenth century encouraged the development of very bold printing types that could be used for a new vehicle of communication: advertising, posters, flyers and broadsides, which all completed for attention. They were often created using slab serif type faces, which, with their strong, square finishing strokes, proved very effective for commanding readers' attention.

The name Egyptian is derived from its use in a publication about booty from Napoleon's Egyptian campaign.

Today, these styles are still popular with advertising agencies in the production of advertisements and other publicity work.

Features

• The bold/fine contrast is reduced to a minimum; i.e. equal thickness of all strokes (also serifs)

• The striking serifs have the form of rectangles

• The appearance is uniform (Geometric)

• Typewriter fonts have similar weight in stems and serifs and a constant character width.

Examples

Rockwell Clarendon Serifa (Frutiger 1968)

Sans Serif (Grotesque)

The first Sans Serifs were issued in Britain in 1816. The first of these typefaces were considered awkward and unappealing since they lacked the traditional serif. Therefore, they were called Grotesque. A hundred years later, in the 1920's, they were again in demand by the Bauhaus movement.

Features

• Relatively uniform strokes lacking significant contrast

• Letters are reduced to essential forms

• All flourishing and serifs are missing

Examples

There are three types of Sans Serifs:

Early and Neo-Grotesque:

Franklin Gothic (M.F. Benton 1903)

Helvetica (Miedinger 1951)  Univers (Frutiger 1952)

Geometric (Bauhaus):

Vilmos Huszar 1917

Josef Albers 1923

  Futura Black (Paul Renner 1929) Century Gothic

Humanist:

  Edward Johnston for the London Underground system in 1916

Gill Sans (Eric Gill 1929)

Gill Sans, designed by Eric Gill in 1929 for Monotype Corporation, became the first widely used sans serif typeface in England.

Decorative and Display

Advertising needs striking typefaces matching the product. For this use graphic or commercial artists invented decorative typefaces.

Script

Since a Parisian printer created the first in 1643, script type faces have become almost as numerous as the handwriting instruments — brush, broad-edged pen or pointed pen — that they were designed to imitate. All script faces are based on different styles of cursive or current handwriting and is frequently ornamented with flourishes. Letters of this form are usually highly rounded, slant to the right, and either connect from letter to letter or have a tail on the letters which leads to the next.

Scripts are available in two broad styles: Flowing and Non-Flowing

Because these types imitate handwriting, two of the main essentials when using Script are not to have too much space between the words and to take additional care when considering leading.

Quill Pen

Brush

Felt Pen

Type Styles

Many typefaces are available in a variety of styles. For example, normal is vertical, italic is redesigned to be thinner and tilted slightly to the right, and oblique is tilted without being redesigned.

Characters can also be normal, condensed (squeezed together across the width), or expanded (stretched across the width). This is often done with computer software.

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