Typography Through The Ages: Type Families and Classifications

Over the entire lifespan of fonts, there have been many different kinds of typefaces which need to be categorised in order to be understood. There are four basic groups:

Serif Typefaces
Sans Serif Typefaces
Script Typefaces
Display Typefaces

As time has gone on, designers and typographers have created and developed different methods to directly specify certain typefaces. Some of these methods and systems have sub-categories in which there are more typefaces.

Old Style

Old style fonts include the first Roman types, which was first created sometimes between the 15^th and 18^th centuries and also includes typefaces that were created based on these Roman fonts. The axis of the curved strokes in Old style fonts are usually leaning to the left, and the serifs are almost always bracketed. The contrast in the stroke weight is not huge or dramatic and is easy to read. There is a minimal variation of thick and thin strokes and the serifs on the Old style fonts are usually quite small.

Neoclassical

Neoclassical fonts were fonts that were created in the late 18^th century and a perfect example of Neoclassical font work would be Giambattista Bodoni’s work. When these typefaces were first released they were known as ‘classical’ designs. It then became clear to printers and designers that these fonts were not updated versions of old fonts but new designs altogether. Because of this realisation the name was then changed to ‘modern’. They have also been known by the names of Neoclassical or Didone. The letters in this category have been clearly constructed and have very strong contrast between the thick and thin strokes. In Neoclassical design there is usually very little or no bracketing on the serifs. The ends of the letters, known as ‘stroke terminals’ are rounded quite often and gives the typeface a very elegant look.

Transitional

John Baskerville was an English printer and typographer and was the creator of the Transitional category in typefaces. He established this new design in the mid-18^th century. These fonts represent the transition between Old style and Neoclassical typefaces, and Transitional usually consists of typefaces that incorporate pieces of both Old style and neoclassical fonts. Because Baskerville worked with calendar paper and had developed certain methods, he was able to draw and create much thinner and finer character strokes. In Transitional fonts, there is more contrast than in Old Style, serifs are bracketed and head serifs are oblique.

Slab

A type design that became very popular in the 19^th century was the Slab serif typeface, and this was mainly used for advertising. Slab serifs have very heavy serifs and very little or no bracketing. The Slab serif typeface is usually seen as a sans-serif typeface to most viewers, with a slight addition of thick serifs. This typeface is usually known for headlines and large text, but is not used for body text.