In the following, we provide the names of a few common typefaces found under their general type category along with a brief discussion of how they’re used and the basic characteristics of what the font is intended to convey.
Serif Fonts
Common Serif Fonts: Bookman, Caslon, Garamond, Goudy, Palatino, Schoolbook, Times Roman.
Usage – Books, magazines and newspapers usually deploy a serif face for the majority of their body text because numerous studies have shown serif faces cause the least eye fatigue over extended periods of reading time. Serif fonts are versatile and can be used across all media.
Character – Serif fonts are traditional and suggest a certain sense of formality and dependability. They can reflect qualities of competence and/or trustworthiness.
Sans-Serif Fonts
Common Sans-Serif Fonts: Avant Garde, Avenir, Franklin Gothic, Futura, Helvetica, Univers, Zurich.
Usage – Sans-serif faces, like serif faces, are used extensively throughout all print and web media. Designed for legibility, sans-serif faces are ideal where text must be set small due to space limitations and/or conversely, set very large to communicate critical information (think: road signage) under varying and often imperfect lighting conditions.
Character – Sans-serif fonts are clean, direct, simple and suggest modernity. They can reflect a high-tech sensibility and at times a certain formal elegance or sophistication. In other contexts, sans-serif fonts can suggest a down-and-dirty, lowest common denominator (think: “everyday low pricing”) kind of quality.
Display Fonts
Common Display Fonts: Ad Lib, Arnold Boecklin, Cooper, Improv, Poplar, Rosewood, Stencil.
Usage – Display fonts are used in logos, headers of fliers, advertisements, posters, packaging and POP displays to create specific moods, feelings and associations suggested by the design of the font itself. They are not intended to use as body text.
Character – Display fonts are typically exuberant, boisterous and in-your-face. Display fonts do not strive to be subtle in the mental images they seek to conjure; they beat you about the head and say “pay attention to me!”
Formal Script Fonts
Common Formal Script Fonts: AT Quill, Bellevue, Bickham Script, Kuenstler Script, Medici Script, Nuptial Script, Park Avenue, Snell Roundhand.
Usage – Formal script fonts are used almost exclusively in materials (invitations, logotypes, advertisements, etc.) related to weddings and formal events. They do not function well at small point sizes (less than 14pt) and should be used sparingly.
Character – Formal script fonts convey elegance, tradition, sophistication and upscale formality.
Informal Script Fonts
Common Informal Script Fonts: Brush Script, Lobster, Kaufmann, Martina, Murray Hill.
Usage – Informal script fonts are used (like many display fonts) in fliers, logos, ads, packaging, etc. They are not suited for use as body text and lose legibility the smaller they are reproduced.
Character – Informal script fonts can be playful, frivolous, happy and spontaneous. While some may suggest artistry, most convey a sense of liberty; casualness and/or relaxation.
Informal Modern Fonts
Common Informal Script Fonts: Comic Sans, Felt Tip.
Usage – Informal modern fonts are a relatively recent (since 1990) development brought about by the widespread availability and affordability of computers, scanners and font-digitizing software. In essence another flavor of display font, informal moderns are used in fliers, advertisements, posters, etc. targeting a youth demographic.
Character – Informal modern fonts are personal, whimsical, quirky and suggest extreme informality. Some may suggest anger or alienation.
Blackletter Fonts
Common Blackletter Fonts – American Text, Cloister Black, Old English.
Usage – Blackletter fonts have been traditionally used in diplomas, stock certificates or other documents of an historical nature. In recent years, they’ve become popular as logotypes for horror films and heavy metal (Goth) bands.
Character – Blackletter fonts, via their antecedents in German Gothic lettering (think: Gutenberg Bible), evoke religion, tradition, integrity and formality. They are also evocative of medieval Germany’s preoccupation with morbidity and the occult.
Additional Typography Font Categories
It could be argued there exist other fonts that deserve their own categories such as calligraphic fonts (based on hand-drawn calligraphy) or monospace fonts (based on letterforms developed for typewriters). However, most fonts are lumped into the basic categories above with some that can occupy more than one category at a time.
If you have any questions about Typography, give us a call at 330-597-8560. We’re happy to help you get ready for your next trade show!
Used with permission from A Basic Font Primer by TH Design, Inc.
