Serif or Roman Style

A serif is a short horizontal line found at the top or bottom of various letters. Serif fonts are very easy for the eye to read because they are open, wide and round. The pointed serifs make a pleasing contrast between the heavy and light strokes. They suggest dignity, stability, and integrity. There are four main classifications of Serif Fonts. They are Oldstyle Roman, Modern Roman, Transitional Roman, and Square Roman also known as Eqyption.

These were originally designed for rough surface papers during the 15th &16th Centuries. Think of a 400 year old printing press. The relationship between the thick and thin strokes of each character is fairly pronounced. Oldstyle Roman Fonts are friendly, warm, and romantic. They bring to mind a classical style.

Don't let the term modern confuse you. This refers to a style of type designed during the 18th and 19th Centuries. These fonts evolved from the Old Style Roman because of better printing presses, papers and inks. The relationship between thick and thin strokes is highly exaggerated in each character. . Moderns are stylized, refined, cool, and sophisticated.

These fonts have some of the characteristics of both the Old Style Roman and the Modern Roman. They evolved during the 17th and 18th centuries. The serifs are often pointed. The relationship between thick and thin strokes of each character is less apparent. They tend to appear more mechanical and geometric in design. This results in a more businesslike appearance.

This fonts are also known as Slab Serif typefaces. They were originally developed in the 19th century for use as display faces. A contemporary type style with square or blocked serifs and more or less uniform strokes. The face is even in texture and weight with very little contrast. They are basically a sans serif design with slab serifs added.

Sans in French means without, thus, Sans Serif means without serifs. This font style has only been around since the last century. Their classification is based entirely on form. Sans serif designs are more linear and less fluid than serif designs, with little variation in stroke width. These fonts do well in very small font sizes and can be combined with most of the other fontstyles.