3. oldstyle font
oldstyle
typefaces were designed
based on the pen- or brush-
written letters in medieval
manuscripts. Bracketed serifs,
(a curve joining the serif
with the stroke), an obique
axis (the axis is the line
through the thinnest part
of the letter), and a low
contrast between thick and
thin strokes characterize
oldstyle typefaces.
4. Examples of several
oldstyle typefaces.
Both historic
and current examples.
Their common attributes are:
bracketed serifs, oblique axis,
and low contrast between
thick and thin strokes.
Garamond
Bembo
Caslon
Perpetua
Times
5. yle transiti
transitional
typefaces evolved from
oldstyle typefaces and
from the new technologies
available: harder alloys
were developed, and so finer
type could be cast without
breaking. transitional
typefaces also have bracketed
serifs, but a vertical axis, and
a higher contrast between
thick and thin strokes.
6. Baskerville
Bell 1234567
examples of two
transitional typefaces.
John Baskerville designed
Baskerville in the 1757.
Bell is little used, but is a
beautiful typeface with its
drunken numbers.
7. nal moder
modern
Giambattista Bodoni was a
printer in Parma, Italy.
Inspired by the types
Baskerville had designed,
and those of Didot and
Fournier, he produced the
typeface Bodoni in 1798.
Bodoni is a classic modern
typeface, with sharp contrast
between stroke weights, a
vertical axis, crisp geometry,
unbracketed serifs, and
a larger x-height.
9. ern slab se
slab serif
typefaces are characterized
by slab-like serifs. Clarendon
is the archetypal slab serif
typeface, designed in 1845
in London. The high
production of the industrial
revolution needed advertising
to sell products. The large
x-height delivered a strong
message. Also note the
influence of the forms
of Bodoni on its geometry.
10. Clarendon
Rockwell
Courier,.
a few examples of slab serif
typefaces. Courier, an
archetypal typewriter
font, is one of them.
Because the typewriter
advanced a set amount for
each letter, the typefaces
designed for them are called
“monospace,” meaning that
whether a period or a capital
M, the space is the same; the
typeface is designed that way.
11. if Sans se
sans serif typefaces started
early and were called gothic.
In the 20th century, several
sans serif typefaces were
designed, and are still
dominant. They have a large
x-height, which ensures
their continued use in ads.
