An Introduction to Typefaces

When you are choosing a font it is very important to know what you are looking for. These fonts are mostly categorized by their physical appearance. The most recognized groups are serif, sans serif, script, blackletter, monspaced and ornamental. Serif typefaces are named after the small features at the end of the letter strokes. They are sometimes referred to as "roman" typefaces and are used most commonly used in print media such as magazines, newspapers and books. It is widely believed that serif fonts make long passages of text easier to read, but actually studies have shown a large amount of variation in results suggesting that the ability to better sustain serif typefaces is based on practice and familiarity with the style. A sans serif font is named after the lack of a serif at the end of each letters pen stroke and they are generally associated with more modern designs. Sans serif designs appeared further down the time line than their serif styles brother yet are just as popular, especially in digital media. This is because sans serifs fonts encourage legibility over readability and are perfect for use in smaller text blocks.

Script typefaces are the ones often associated with handwritten text or calligraphy. They are quite difficult to read in large passages but are still used in some situations especially print media. This is because script fonts often give off the impression of elegance when compared to some of the other font groups. Blackletter typefaces are fairly complex fonts that use an especially complex set of serifs and design tweaks. They are predominately designed to fit in with "old English" style calligraphy and often appear Medieval. They lend a certain amount of power to text as it becomes instantly noticeable, especially alongside normal fonts. Monspaced fonts are specially designed fonts in which every letter or symbol has the exact same width. They were originally designed for typewriters, which could not move a dynamic amount of space in-between letters so every one had to be the same. Ornamental text is often referred to under different names such as display or novelty text. It is very rarely suited for body text and is designed for distinctive titles. The style will very often carry extremely specific connotations and can end up being associated with brands or products very easily.