Type Classifications

Classifications:

Old Style

Characteristics:
1. The base serifs have no or ar hardly any rounding at the bottom
2. The cross-bar of the lowercase e is horizontal
3. The top serifs are roof-shaped and hae a triangular form
 
Fonts:
1. Garamond
2. Bembo
3. Plantino
4. Albertina
5. Palatino

Transitional

Characteristics:
1. The base serifs are only a little or virtually not rounded at the bottom.
2. The cross-bar of the lowercase e is horizontal
3. The serifs are sometimes rounded, sometimes sharpened, and in a few cases already strictly horizontal as with the didones.

Fonts:
1. Baskerville
2. Concorde
3. Fournier
4. Perpetua
5. Times New Roman

Modern

Characteristics:
1. Strong emphasis on vertical stroke
2. thick-thin contrast is vertical
3. sharp contrasts, symmetry and sharp transition to the straight serifs.
 
Fonts:
1. Didot
2. Bodoni
3. Walbaum
4. Linotype
5. Vertrina
 
 

Slab-Serif

Characteristics:
1. Only a little thick-thin contrast
2. The heavy rectangular serifs are as thick as the letters themselves
3. The serifs are the defining characteristic of slab-serif
 
Fonts:
1. Antique
2. Clarendon
3. Beton
4. Memphis
5. Serifa

Humanist

Characteristics:
1. Line widths are visually equal
2. Extension of the lowercase "e" points to the right instead of turning toward the crossbar
3. Lowercase "g" has a classic form with two bowls
 
Fonts:
1. Gills Sans
2. Profile
3. Syntax
4. Frutiger
5. Myraid

Geometric

Characteristics:
1. No Serifs
2. Line thicknesses are only visually and minually corrected
3. The axis of the roundings is vertical
 
Fonts:
1. Futura
2. Avant Garde
3. Eurostile
4. Erbar
5. Neuzet Grotesk

Grotesk/Gothic

Characteristics:
1. Line thicknesses seem to be equal but have a slight visual think-thin contrast
2. Axis of rounding is vertical
3. The ascender height is usually  equal to the capital letter
 
Fonts:
1. Akzidenz Grotesk
2. Neue Helvetica
3. Univers
4. Arial
5. Franklin Gothic