Type Posters

E

e
Humanistic
Gardale
Transitional
Didone
Slab Serif
Glyphic
Script
Lineale

Transitionals are some of the most commonly used text faces today. The
designs of these faces emphasized the mechanical rather than the calligraphic.
They are called Transitional because they are the faces that bridged the gap
from “Old Style” faces (Humanist and Garalde) to the next category of type,
which is called “Modern.” Characteristics of this typeface are higher contrast,
larger apertures (counters), larger x-heights and their vertical axis (stress).

ABCDEFGH
IJKLMNOP
Q R ST UVW

A f o
XY Z a b c d e f
ghijklmnop
qrstuvwxyz

Humanistic
Gardale
Transitional
Didone
Slab Serif

d
Glyphic
Script
Lineale

D
a
e
e
Garadale category is named after
the French typographer Claude
Garamond (1480–1561). The
faces in this category are all
inspired by the letterforms of this
master typographer. Five hundred
years later, many of the most
popular text faces today are from
this category. These are faces
ABCD
EFGH
IJKL
MNOP
QRST

o
UVW
that are similar to Humanist faces
but they have moved one step XYZ
away from the pen-drawn quali- abcd
ties of those faces. These faces efgh
have greater contrast between ijkl
their thicks and thins. mnop
qrst
uvw
xyz

Humanistic
Gardale Inspired by the letterforms of Nicolas
Jenson (1420–1480) as this is the
Transitional oldest category of roman letterforms

R
Didone created in metal type, the letters have many
of the same characteristics of pen-drawn
Slab Serif forms.These typefaces have an elegance and
Glyphic classicism and work well as text faces
alongside Blackletter display type.
Script Characteristics of these typefaces include,
Lineale the sloped bar on the lowercase e and their
slanted axis (stress), and lowest contrast.

ABCD
EFGH
IJKL
MNOP
Q R ST
UVW
XY Z
abcd

a
ef gh
ijkl
mnop
qrst
uvw
xyz
e
o

r

S
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Script faces resemble cursive handwriting.
In many of these faces, each form has
connecting strokes that will form a junction to
adjacent letterforms and mimic the continuous
flow of handwriting. Also, scripts are designed
to be set as upper and lowercase, never as
all caps. Since most scripts are low in legibility
and quite decorative, these letterforms are best
used in small quantities as accent characters
rather than for long passages of text. Often
used in food packagin, because it looks
handmade, and give impression of handmade
food. Also, scripts are in wide use on greeting
cards and wedding invitations to make these

pi
items seem like more personalized messages.

istic
an le
Hum arda l
G ona
n siti ne
Tra Dido if
Ser c
lab yphi
S l
G ript
Sc le
L inea

t

D
i
Humanistic
Slab Serif
Gardale
Didone
Transitional
Glyphic
Script

do
Lineale
r
o
b
A

r and
s
a
a
ty

the e
h
e

D
w
b
Dido

v
u

,”
n
of ha e catego

casu and ne elegant faces ha had
contr l. Didone er seem permane ve
The st of all s have th informal t
unbr erifs on the type e highes r
a
ball ckected idones lassificat
te

ar of
A
a
c, f, rminals airlines. re horizo ons.
on th
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,

e arm lso note tal,
s
the g of the a,
.
r
on p nd-drawn y rejecte
on a re geom forms an all aspe
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dot, attista B category constru sed
o
by th ho were doni an is name ted
done work th both gre Firmin D for
a

n
the
a
a “dr in Engla t John B tly inspir i-
e n
quali ssed up d. These askerville d

i
d

t
o
n
d
Giam grid. The tric form d were b cts
s

e
d
c
a


G yl

p B
O
m
Q
ce s are bas
These fa led or cut
on chise s rather than
ed

letterform n forms. They p
pen-drawhave small, shar
typically ajuscules had
serifs. M rves to facilitate ny
fewer cu which is why ma
carving, typefaces containr
Glyphic ital letterforms o
only cap ps. Glyphic
small ca s are intended
typeface as display
for use t text type.
type, no

c
istic
an ale
Hum Gard al

Tr D
ition ne
ans ido f
eri
i
b S hic
Sla lyp t
G crip
S le
Li nea

These are the faces with heavy square serifs that were designed in the
early 1800s to meet the demands of a newly industrialized society.
A B C D E
With this relationship to the Industrial Revolution, these faces have
a real “workhorse” feel about them. A London type founder, Robert
F G H I J K
Thorne, coined the name “Egyptian” for his work on slab serif
display typefaces, which reflected the feel of the massive structures,
L M N O P
and the name stuck. Slab serifs were widely used on broadside post-
ers, handbills and advertising during the Industrial Revolution. In
Q R S T U
addition, Napoleon reportedly used these faces in message relays
because they were clear enough for his soldiers to see through tele-
V W X Y Z
scopes over long distances.There are three kinds of slab serif types.
Regular slab serifs are low in contrast (strokes and serifs are often the
abcdefghi
same thickness) and have unbracketed slab serifs. Clarendons have
jklmnopq

Ab
bracketed slab serifs, a bit more contrast and ball terminals. Type-
writer faces are monospaced slab serifs.
rstuvwxyz

r
Humanistic
Gardale
Transitional
Didone
Slab Serif
Glyphic
Script
Lineale

Slab Serif

j
In the early 20th century, circles,
squares and triangles became the
A B C D E
symbols of the new industrial soci- F G H I J K
ety. Design movements like de Stijl
and Constructivism along with the L M N O P
philosophy of the Bauhaus laid the
groundwork for the development of Q R S T U
geometric typefaces. These typefaces
were the manifestation of a new de-
V W X Y Z
sign attitude.These faces have very abcdefghi
low contrast (most have almost none)
and are constructed of purely geo- jklmnopq
metric shapes without reference to
pen-drawn forms. Most Lineale Geo- rstuvwxyz
metric faces have a single-story low-
ercase a and for this reason, they do

c
not make very legible text faces.

A Lineale Geometric
Humanistic
Gardale
Transitional
Didone
Slab Serif
Glyphic
Script
Lineale

These faces are more legible and have a warmer feeling than any
of the other kinds of Lineales.Many Lineale Humanist faces have
A B C D E
a true-drawn italic rather than an oblique companion face. Slanted F G H I J K
roman forms are called oblique. The Lineales we’ve studied up to
now have all had obliques. A true-drawn (or genuine) italic is one L M N O P
where the italic letterforms are distinct forms rather than slanted
versions of the roman forms. By the way, most serif text faces have Q R S T U
a genuine italic companion face. Remember that the term “Human-
ist” derives from the humanist handwriting of 15th century Italy.In
V W X Y Z
addition, several of the Lineale Humanist typefaces designed in the abcdefghi
late 20th century have matching small caps and old-style figures.

Mc
The availability of a true italic, small caps and old-style figures in jklmnopq
these Lineale Humanist faces also contribute to their warmth and
flexibility. rstuvwxyz

a Lineale Humanistic
Humanistic
Gardale
Transitional
Didone
Slab Serif
Glyphic
Script
Lineale

A A a

f
B b

T t
C c

o
D d
E e
F f
G g
H h
I i
J j
K k
L l
Humanistic Mm 2
1

Garalde N n 3
4

Transitional O o 5
P p
6
7
Didone Q q 8
9
Slab Serif
Transitional are some of the most commonly used text faces today. The de-
signs of these faces emphasized the mechanical rather than the calligraphic. R r 0
They are called Transitional because they are the faces that bridged the gap

Glyphic S s
from “Old Style” faces (Humanist and Garalde) to the next category of type,
which is called “Modern.” Characteristics of this typeface are higher contrast,
larger apertures (counters), larger x-heights and their vertical axis (stress). T t
Script U u

Lineale V v
Ww
X x
Y y
Z z

J j J
Garalde category is named after the French typographer
Claude Garamond (1480–1561). The faces in this category
are all inspired by the letterforms of this master typogra-
pher. Five hundred years later, many of the most popular
text faces today are from this category. These are faces that
are similar to Humanist faces but they have moved one step
away from the pen-drawn qualities of those faces. These
faces have greater contrast between their thicks and thins.
a
e
o

Humanistic
Garalde
Transitional
Didone
Slab Serif
Glyphic
Script
Lineale
A a
B b
C c
Dd
E e
F f
G g
Hh
I i
J j
K k
L l
Mm 2
Nn 3
Oo 5
P p
Qq 8

T t
U u
V v
Ww
X x
Y y
Z z
1

4

6
7

9
R r 0
S s

I
a
e A a
B b

I i
C c

o D d
E e
F f
G g
Hh
I i
J j
K k
L l
Humanistic Mm
1
2
Garalde Nn 3
4
O o
Transitional P p
5
6

Didone
7
Q q 8
9
Slab Serif
Inspired by the letterforms of Nicholas Jenson (1420–1480) as
this is the oldest category of roman letterforms created in metal R r 0
type, the letters have many of the same characteristics of pen-
S s
drawn forms. These typefaces have an elegance and classicism
and work well as text faces alongside Blackletter display type.
Characteristics of these typefaces include, the sloped bar on the
Glyphic T t
lowercase e and their slanted axis (stress), and lowest contrast.
Script U u

Lineale V v
Ww
X x
Y y
Z z

Didone
Garalde
Glyphic
Humanist
Lineale
Script
Slab serif
Transitional

Tr·an·si·tio·nal
1. This entire category would not have existed but for the efforts of John Baskerville (1706–1775). As an
inventor, he had made advances in papermaking (smoother, whiter paper), ink (darker) and printing (more
pressure) which led him to redesign letterforms for these technological improvements. While to our mod-
ern eyes these faces might seem ordinary, Baskerville’s types were considered outlandish in the 1700s in
England. According to some reports, his books were criticized as being a potential cause of blindness. Tran-
sitionals (along with Garaldes) are some of the most commonly used text faces today. The designs of these
faces emphasized the mechanical rather than the calligraphic. They are called Transitional because they are
the faces that bridged the gap from “Old Style” faces (Humanist and Garalde) to the next category of type,
which is called “Modern.” Transitional faces can be identified by their higher contrast, larger apertures
(counters), larger x-heights and their vertical axis (stress).

2. A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
3. a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

5. Afo

Didone
Garalde
Glyphic

Ga·ra·lde
Humanist
Lineale
Script
Slab serif
Transitional

1. The second type category is named for the French typographer Claude Garamond (1480–1561).
The faces in this category are all inspired by the letterforms of this master typographer. Five hundred
years later, many of the most popular text faces today are from this category. These are faces that are
similar to Humanist faces but they have moved one step away from the pen-drawn qualities of those
faces. Unlike Humanist faces, these faces have a horizontal bar on the e and greater contrast between
their thicks and thins. Their axis is only slightly sloped. In many simplified type classification sys-
tems, the first two Vox categories of Humanist and Garalde are called “Old Style.”


4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

5. aeeo

Didone
Garalde
Glyphic
Humanist
Lineale
Script
Slab serif
Transitional

Gl·yp·hic
1. These are faces that are based on chiseled or cut letterforms
rather than pen-drawn forms. They typically have small, sharp ser-
ifs. As you may recall from Module 1, our uppercase letterforms
came from the inscribed forms on Trajan’s column. Majuscules
had fewer curves to facilitate carving. This is why many Glyphic
typefaces contain only capital letterforms or small caps. Glyphic
typefaces are intended for use as display type, not text type.


3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

4. BOMQ

Didone Garalde Glyphic Humanist Lineale Script Slab Serif Transitional

Lineale Geometric

Q
A

j

c
In the early 20th century, circles, squares and triangles became the symbols of the new industrial
society. Design movements like de Stijl and Constructivism along with the philosophy of the Bau-
haus laid the groundwork for the development of geometric typefaces. These typefaces were the
manifestation of a new design attitude.

These faces have very low contrast (most have almost none) and are constructed of purely
geometric shapes without reference to pen-drawn forms. Most Lineale Geometric faces have a
single-story lowercase a and for this reason, they do not make very legible text faces.



Avant Garde, Avenir, Eurostile, Futura, Kabel


Lineale Neo-Grotesque

Q
a

e

R
Helvetica has been called “the face without features.” Designed by Edouard Hoffman and Max Mied-
inger, it was originally released as New Haas Grotesk in 1957. It was reissued and renamed Hel-
vetica (from the Latin word Helvetier, the name of the people who once lived in the area which came
to be known as Switzerland) in 1961 in order to compete with the popularity of Univers amongst the
Swiss International Style designers. Helvetica is so ubiquitous that it’s almost invisible ― street signs,
logos, mastheads, packaging, posters ― wherever you are, Helvetica is never far away.

The version of the face called Helvetica Neue has been redrawn for consistency amongst all the
many weights and widths of Helvetica. These days, it’s the only version of Helvetica professional
designers use. Helvetica Neue is available in 26 variations.

Helvetica has a slightly larger x-height than Univers and more curves ― most notably on the bowl of
the lowercase a and the leg of capital R. The large x-height allows for greater play in leading. The
face sets tightly and works best with generous tracking at small (7pt or below) text sizes.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R ST UVW XY Z


Akzidenz Grotesk, Helvetica, Univers


Q
Lineale Grotesque
a

g

k
The delicate elegance of Transitionals and Didones had become familiar to many people and
the earliest sans serifs were seen as shocking and vulgar ― hence it is sometimes referred to as
“Grotesque.”

Like slab serifs, sans serifs were widely used for advertising and broadsides and worked well to
“shout the loudest” over the increasing clutter in the industrialized marketplace. In the US, gro-
tesques were called “gothic,” a term that meant Blackletter type in Europe. “Gothic” is believed
to be in reference to the architectural form.

You can identify Grotesques by their two-story lowercase g. Compared to Univers or Helvetica,
these faces have a bulky, rough, unadorned look; yet, because of their origins in the 19th cen-
tury, they never seem overly plain or stiff.



Bureau Grotesque, Franklin Gothic, News Gothic, Trade Gothic, HTF Knockout


&
Slab Serif

Abr
ABCD These are faces inspired by the letterforms abcd
of Nicolas Jenson (1420–1480). Jenson
EFGH was French but had traveled to Germany eghh
to learn printing in Mainz (Gutenberg’s
IJKL town). Instead of returning to France, he ijkl
set up his press in Venice, and that is why mnop
MNOP this category is also called Venetian. As this
QRST is the oldest category of roman letterforms qrst
created in metal type, the letters have many
UVW of the same characteristics of pen-drawn uvw
forms. These typefaces have an elegance
XYZ and classicism and work well as text faces xyz
alongside Blackletter display type. You can
identify these faces by the sloped bar on the
lowercase e and their slanted axis (stress).
Humanist faces are the lowest contrast
(that means there is the least difference
between thick and thin parts of the stroke)
of the serif text faces.


Garalde

&
ABCD
EFGH
IJKL
MNOP
QRST
aeeo
1. The second type category is named for
the French typographer Claude Garamond
(1480–1561). The faces in this category are
all inspired by the letterforms of this master
typographer. Five hundred years later, many
of the most popular text faces today are from
this category. These are faces that are simi-
lar to Humanist faces but they have moved
one step away from the pen-drawn quali-
abcd
eghh
ijkl
mnop
qrst
UVW ties of those faces. Unlike Humanist faces, uvw
these faces have a horizontal bar on the e
XYZ and greater contrast between their thicks and xyz
thins. Their axis is only slightly sloped. In
many simplified type classification systems,
the first two Vox categories of Humanist and
Garalde are called “Old Style.”


&
Lineale Humanist

JacM
ABCD These are faces inspired by the letterforms abcd
of Nicolas Jenson (1420–1480). Jenson was
EFGH French but had traveled to Germany to eghh
learn printing in Mainz (Gutenberg’s town).
IJKL Instead of returning to France, he set up ijkl
his press in Venice, and that is why this cat- mnop
MNOP egory is also called Venetian. As this is the
QRST oldest category of roman letterforms cre- qrst
ated in metal type, the letters have many
UVW of the same characteristics of pen-drawn uvw
forms. These typefaces have an elegance
XYZ and classicism and work well as text faces xyz
alongside Blackletter display type. You
can identify these faces by the sloped bar
on the lowercase e and their slanted axis
(stress). Humanist faces are the lowest con-
trast (that means there is the least differ-
ence between thick and thin parts of the
stroke) of the serif text faces.

A
F
K
O
E
aeeo B
G
L
P
C
H
M
Q
D
I
E

N
R
J

S T U V
W X Y Z
a b c d e
f g h i j
k l m n
o p q r
s t u v
w x y z
The second type category is named for the French typographer
Claude Garamond (1480–1561). The faces in this category
are all inspired by the letterforms of this master typographer.
Five hundred years later, many of the most popular text faces
today are from this category. These are faces that are similar to
Humanist faces but they have moved one step away from the
pen-drawn qualities of those faces. Unlike Humanist faces,
these faces have a horizontal bar on the e and greater contrast
between their thicks and thins. Their axis is only slightly sloped.
In many simplified type classification systems, the first two Vox
categories of Humanist and Garalde are called “Old Style.”


A
F
K
O
E Afo B
G
L
P
C
H
M
Q
D
I
E

N
R
J

S T U V
W X Y Z
a b c d e
f g h i j
k l m n
o p q r
s t u v
w x y z

This entire category would not have existed but for the efforts of John Baskerville
(1706–1775). As an inventor, he had made advances in papermaking (smoother,
whiter paper), ink (darker) and printing (more pressure) which led him to redesign
letterforms for these technological improvements. While to our modern eyes these
faces might seem ordinary, Baskerville’s types were considered outlandish in the
1700s in England. According to some reports, his books were criticized as being a
potential cause of blindness.Transitionals (along with Garaldes) are some of the most
commonly used text faces today.The designs of these faces emphasized the mechanical
rather than the calligraphic.They are calledTransitional because they are the faces that
bridged the gap from “Old Style” faces (Humanist and Garalde) to the next category
of type, which is called “Modern.” Transitional faces can be identified by their higher
contrast, larger apertures (counters), larger x-heights and their vertical axis (stress).


A
F
K
O
EAbr B
G
L
P
C
H
M
Q
D
I
E

N
R
J

S T U V
W X Y Z
a b c d e
f g h i j
k l m n
o p q r
s t u v
w x y z
These are faces inspired by the letterforms of Nicolas Jenson
(1420–1480). Jenson was French but had traveled to Germany to
learn printing in Mainz (Gutenberg’s town). Instead of returning to
France, he set up his press in Venice, and that is why this category
is also called Venetian. As this is the oldest category of roman let-
terforms created in metal type, the letters have many of the same
characteristics of pen-drawn forms. These typefaces have an ele-
gance and classicism and work well as text faces alongside Black-
letter display type. You can identify these faces by the sloped bar
on the lowercase e and their slanted axis (stress). Humanist faces
are the lowest contrast (that means there is the least difference
between thick and thin parts of the stroke) of the serif text faces.


Glyphic
These are faces that
are based on chiseled
or cut letterforms
rather than pen-drawn
forms. They typically ABCD
have small, sharp serifs.
Didone
As you may recall from EFGH
Garalde Module 1, our upper-
Glyphic case letterforms came IJKL
Humanist from the inscribed
forms on Trajan’s col- MNOP
Lineale
Script umn. Majuscules had
QRST
fewer curves to facili-
Slab serif
tate carving. This is UVW
Transitional why many Glyphic type-
faces contain only XYZ
capital letterforms
or small caps. Glyphic
typefaces are intended
for use as display type,
not text type.

BOMQ

Transitional
This entire category would not have
existed but for the efforts of John Basker-
ville (1706–1775). As an inventor, he had
made advances in papermaking (smoother,
whiter paper), ink (darker) and printing
(more pressure) which led him to rede-
sign letterforms for these technological Aa Bb Cc Dd
Didone improvements. While to our modern eyes
these faces might seem ordinary, Basker- Ee Ff Gg Hh
Garalde
ville’s types were considered outlandish in
Glyphic the 1700s in England. According to some Ii Jj Kk Ll
Humanist reports, his books were criticized as being
a potential cause of blindness. Transition- Mm Nn Oo Pp
Lineale
Script als (along with Garaldes) are some of the Qq Rr Ss Tt
Slab serif most commonly used text faces today.
The designs of these faces emphasized the Uu Vv Ww
Transitional
mechanical rather than the calligraphic.
They are called Transitional because they Xx Yy Zz
are the faces that bridged the gap from
“Old Style” faces (Humanist and Garalde)
to the next category of type, which is
called “Modern.” Transitional faces can be
identified by their higher contrast, larger
apertures (counters), larger x-heights and
their vertical axis (stress).

Afo

Garalde
The second type category is named
for the French typographer Claude
Garamond (1480–1561). The faces
in this category are all inspired
by the letterforms of this master Aa Bb Cc Dd
typographer. Five hundred years
Didone
later, many of the most popu- Ee Ff Gg Hh
Garalde lar text faces today are from this
Glyphic category. These are faces that are Ii Jj Kk Ll
Humanist similar to Humanist faces but they Mm Nn Oo Pp
Lineale have moved one step away from
Script the pen-drawn qualities of those Qq Rr Ss Tt
Slab serif faces. Unlike Humanist faces, these
faces have a horizontal bar on the e Uu Vv Ww
Transitional
and greater contrast between their
thicks and thins. Their axis is only Xx Yy Zz
slightly sloped. In many simplified
type classification systems, the first
two Vox categories of Humanist
and Garalde are called “Old Style.”

aeeo

Didone
Garalde
Glyphic
Humanist
Lineale
Script
Slab serif
Transitional

Slab ABCDEFGHIJKL MNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijkl mnopqrstuvwxyz

A b r Serif
These are faces inspired by the letterforms
of Nicolas Jenson (1420–1480). Jenson was
French but had traveled to Germany to learn
printing in Mainz (Gutenberg’s town). Instead
of returning to France, he set up his press in
Venice, and that is why this category is also
called Venetian. As this is the oldest category
of roman letterforms created in metal type, the
letters have many of the same characteristics of
pen-drawn forms. These typefaces have an ele-
gance and classicism and work well as text faces
alongside Blackletter display type. You can iden-
tify these faces by the sloped bar on the lower-
case e and their slanted axis (stress). Humanist
faces are the lowest contrast (that means there
is the least difference between thick and thin
parts of the stroke) of the serif text faces.

Didone
Garalde
Glyphic
Humanist
Lineale
Script
Slab serif
Transitional

Lineale ABCDEFGHIJKL MNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

J a c M Humanist
These are faces inspired by the letterforms of
Nicolas Jenson (1420–1480). Jenson was French
but had traveled to Germany to learn printing
in Mainz (Gutenberg’s town). Instead of return-
ing to France, he set up his press in Venice, and
that is why this category is also called Venetian.
As this is the oldest category of roman letter-
forms created in metal type, the letters have
many of the same characteristics of pen-drawn
forms. These typefaces have an elegance and
classicism and work well as text faces along-
side Blackletter display type. You can identify
these faces by the sloped bar on the lowercase
e and their slanted axis (stress). Humanist faces
are the lowest contrast (that means there is the
least difference between thick and thin parts of
the stroke) of the serif text faces.

Didone
Garalde
Glyphic
Humanist
Lineale
Script
Slab serif
Transitional

Lineale ABCDEFGHIJKL MNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

A j c Geometric
In the early 20th century, circles, squares
and triangles became the symbols of the new
industrial society. Design movements like de
Stijl and Constructivism along with the phi-
losophy of the Bauhaus laid the groundwork
for the development of geometric typefaces.
These typefaces were the manifestation of a
new design attitude. These faces have very
low contrast (most have almost none) and
are constructed of purely geometric shapes
without reference to pen-drawn forms. Most
Lineale Geometric faces have a single-story
lowercase a and for this reason, they do not
make very legible text faces.

Didone
Garalde
Glyphic
Humanist
Lineale
Script
Slab serif

Tr·an·si·tio·nal
1. This entire category would not have existed but for the efforts of John Baskerville (1706–
1775). As an inventor, he had made advances in papermaking (smoother, whiter paper), ink
(darker) and printing (more pressure) which led him to redesign letterforms for these tech-
nological improvements. While to our modern eyes these faces might seem ordinary, Basker-
ville’s types were considered outlandish in the 1700s in England. According to some reports,
his books were criticized as being a potential cause of blindness. Transitionals (along with
Garaldes) are some of the most commonly used text faces today. The designs of these faces
emphasized the mechanical rather than the calligraphic. They are called Transitional because
they are the faces that bridged the gap from “Old Style” faces (Humanist and Garalde) to the
next category of type, which is called “Modern.” Transitional faces can be identified by their
higher contrast, larger apertures (counters), larger x-heights and their vertical axis (stress).



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5. Afo

Didone

Ga·ra·lde
1. The second type category is named for the French typographer Claude Garamond (1480–1561).
The faces in this category are all inspired by the letterforms of this master typographer. Five hun-
dred years later, many of the most popular text faces today are from this category. These are faces
that are similar to Humanist faces but they have moved one step away from the pen-drawn qualities
of those faces. Unlike Humanist faces, these faces have a horizontal bar on the e and greater contrast
between their thicks and thins. Their axis is only slightly sloped. In many simplified type classifica-
tion systems, the first two Vox categories of Humanist and Garalde are called “Old Style.”



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5. aeeo
Glyphic
Humanist
Lineale
Script
Slab serif

Didone
Garalde

Gl·yp·hic
1. These are faces that are based on chiseled or cut letter-
forms rather than pen-drawn forms. They typically have
small, sharp serifs. As you may recall from Module 1, our
uppercase letterforms came from the inscribed forms on
Trajan’s column. Majuscules had fewer curves to facilitate
carving. This is why many Glyphic typefaces contain only
capital letterforms or small caps. Glyphic typefaces are
intended for use as display type, not text type.

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4. BOMQ
Humanist
Lineale
Script
Slab serif


Lineale Grotesque

Q
a

g

k
the earliest sans serifs were seen as shocking and vulgar ― hence it is sometimes referred to as
“Grotesque.”

Like slab serifs, sans serifs were widely used for advertising and broadsides and worked well to
“shout the loudest” over the increasing clutter in the industrialized marketplace. In the US, gro-
tesques were called “gothic,” a term that meant Blackletter type in Europe. “Gothic” is believed
to be in reference to the architectural form.







Q
a

e

R
Helvetica has been called “the face without features.” Designed by Edouard Hoffman and Max
Miedinger, it was originally released as New Haas Grotesk in 1957. It was reissued and renamed Hel-
vetica (from the Latin word Helvetier, the name of the people who once lived in the area which came
to be known as Switzerland) in 1961 in order to compete with the popularity of Univers amongst the
Swiss International Style designers. Helvetica is so ubiquitous that it’s almost invisible ― street signs,
logos, mastheads, packaging, posters ― wherever you are, Helvetica is never far away.

The version of the face called Helvetica Neue has been redrawn for consistency amongst all the
many weights and widths of Helvetica. These days, it’s the only version of Helvetica professional
designers use. Helvetica Neue is available in 26 variations.

Helvetica has a slightly larger x-height than Univers and more curves ― most notably on the bowl of
the lowercase a and the leg of capital R. The large x-height allows for greater play in leading. The
face sets tightly and works best with generous tracking at small (7pt or below) text sizes.



Akzidenz Grotesk, Helvetica, Univers

Humanist Garalde Transitional Didone Slab Serif Lineale Glyphic Script

Lineale Geometric

Q
A

j

c
In the early 20th century, circles, squares and triangles became the symbols of the new industrial
society. Design movements like de Stijl and Constructivism along with the philosophy of the Bau-
haus laid the groundwork for the development of geometric typefaces. These typefaces were the
manifestation of a new design attitude.

These faces have very low contrast (most have almost none) and are constructed of purely
geometric shapes without reference to pen-drawn forms. Most Lineale Geometric faces have a
single-story lowercase a and for this reason, they do not make very legible text faces.

Avant Garde, Avenir, Eurostile, Futura, Kabel



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Q
a

e

R
These faces are similar to Grotesques but they have a little less contrast and a single-story
lowercase g. Their lower contrast gives these faces a more “designed” look because they have
taken one step away from the modulation of pen-drawn strokes. The jaws of letters like C are
slightly more open than in Grotesques (and they will continue to become more open as we
progress through the evolution of Lineales).

By the mid-20th century, sans serif type in a wide range of weights came to epitomize moder-
nity. These faces easily accommodated modern design’s abstract, intellectual attitudes.

Akzidenz Grotesk, Helvetica, Univers, Bell Centennial



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Lineale Grotesque

Q
a

g

k
the earliest sans serifs were seen as shocking and vulgar ― hence it is sometimes referred to
as “Grotesque.” Like slab serifs, sans serifs were widely used for advertising and broadsides
and worked well to “shout the loudest” over the increasing clutter in the industrialized market-
place. In the US, grotesques were called “gothic,” a term that meant Blackletter type in Europe.
“Gothic” is believed to be in reference to the architectural form.





1234567890

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