A basic system for classifying typefaces was devised in the nineteenth century, when printers sought to identify a heritage for their own craft analogous to that of art history. Humanist letterforms are closely connected to calligraphy and the movement of the hand. Transitional and modern typefaces are more abstract and less organic. These three main groups correspond roughly to the Renaissance, Baroque, and Enlightenment periods in art and literature. Designers in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries have continued to create new typefaces based on historic characteristics.
Classifications:
Old Style- In typography, Old Style is a style of font developed by Renaissance typographers to replace the Blackletter style of type. Based on ancient Roman inscriptions, these fonts are generally characterized by low contrast between thick and thin strokes, bracketed serifs, and a left-leaning axis or stress. There are two groups of Old Style typefaces: Venetian (Renaissance) and Garalde (Baroque). Examples are: Garamond, Centaur, Goudy Oldstyle, Century Oldstyle, Palatino, Sabon
Transitional- The Antiqua or Old Style of type of the 16th centuries evolved into a style known as Transitional. The primary characteristics of Transitional type is medium contrast between thick and thin strokes, less left-inclined stress than earlier Old Style faces, and a triangular or flat tip where diagonal strokes meet (such the base of a W) Examples are: Baskerville, Times New Roman, Bell, Perpetua.
Modern- In typography, Modern is a style of typeface developed in the late 18th century that continued through much of the 19th century. Characterized by high contrast between thick and thin strokes and flat serifs, Modern fonts are harder to read than previous and later typestyles. Some later variations include the Slab Serifs with bolder, square serifs and the related Clarendon style with less contrast and softer, rounded shapes. Examples are: Bodoni, Didot, Bernhard Modern Roman
Slab Serif- A Slab Serif is a type of serif font that evolved from the Modern style. The serifs are square and larger, bolder than serifs of previous typestyles. Considered a sub-classification of Modern, Slab Serif is further divided into Clarendon, Typewriter, and Slab Serif (a separate sub-category of Slab Serif) styles. Examples are: Clarendon, American Typewriter, Rockwell
Sans Serif- Type which does not have serifs -- the little extra strokes found at the end of main vertical and horizontal strokes of some letterforms -- are called sans serif (without serif). Within sans serif there are five main classifications: Grotesque, Neo-Grotesque, Geometric, Humanist, and Informal. Typefaces within each classification usually share similarities in stroke thickness, weight, and the shapes of certain letterforms.
Although there were some sans serif typefaces in the 1800s, the 1920's Bauhaus design movement popularized the sans serif style.
Examples are: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, Futura, Univers, and Franklin Gothic
Script: are based upon the varied and often fluid stroke created by handwriting. They are organized into highly regular formal types similar to cursive writing and looser, more casual scripts. expamles are: Kuenstler Script, Caflisch Script, Shelley, Coronet, Snell Roundhand, Park Avenue, Present Script, Freestyle Script and Commscript.
Blackletter:Based on early written forms, blackletter is a style of typeface that features elaborate thick to thin strokes and serifs. The Gutenberg Bible, the first book ever printed with movable type, was set in a Blackletter typeface to mimic the manuscript writing of the time. Examples are: Black Forest, Linotext, Goudy Text, and Wedding Text
Monospaced:The sole criterion of a monospace font is that all glyphs have the same fixed width. (This can make some scripts, such as Arabic, look most peculiar.) The effect is similar to a manual typewriter, and is often used to set samples of computer code. Examples are: Courier, MS Courier New, Prestige, Everson Mono,
Grunge: A catch-all phrase to describe a typographic wave in the 1990s. Grunge, like many typographic/artistic movements before it, was a rebellion; but this rebellion denied not only the relevance of anything previous, but sometimes even the relevance of legibility itself, in the belief that the medium *is* the message. As grunge type designer Carlos Segura of T-26 says, “Typography is beyond letters. Some fonts are so decorative, they almost become ‘visuals’ and when put in text form, they tell a story beyond the words — a canvas is created by the personality of the collection of words on the page.” Grunge typefaces and typography were seen in magazines such as RayGun and Bikini.
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