FontSFontSFontSFontS aka Typography

Font Parts Lets break fonts down by their parts!

Serifs Serifs are the flares at the ends of the letters.

Baseline The baseline is a line upon which the bottom of the main body of each letter rests.

X - Height X-height refers to the height of the main body of the lowercase letters.

Ascenders Ascenders are the parts of letters that rise above the x-height.

Descenders Descenders are the parts of the letters that drop below the baseline.

Weight Weight is the thickness of line in the font.

Thick/Thin Transition The thick/thin transition is the change in curved portions of a letter from a thick line to a thin one.

Stress The stress is the angle of a line between the thinnest parts of the curved strokes.

Font Categories Now we will break them according to their categories!

Oldstyle Oldstyle fonts have serifs. The serifs are always slanted on lowercase letters. These fonts always have diagonal stress on curves and a medium thick/thin transition (going from kind-of-thick to kind-of-thin.) These fonts make good body text. They are easy to read and hard to distinguish from each other. Oldstyle fonts have serifs. The serifs are always slanted on lowercase letters. These fonts always have diagonal stress on curves and a medium thick/thin transition (going from kind-of-thick to kind-of-thin.) These fonts make good body text. They are easy to read and hard to distinguish from each other.

Modern Modern fonts have serifs that are thin and flat on lowercase letters. The thick-thin transitions are dramatic - moving quickly from very thick to very thin and the curves all have a vertical stress. These fonts are very good for headlines.

Slab Serif Slab Serif fonts have little or no thick/thin transition at all. Because of this they are called monoweight fonts. The serifs are thick and horizontal; hence the term "slab." These fonts are dark and extremely easy to read. They are used for body text quite often.

Sans Serif Sans Serif fonts are monoweight fonts. They do not have thick/thin transitions nor serifs. (The word "sans" means "without.")

Script Script fonts appear to have been hand written. They are usually used to add style to a design and not for body text. They can be very dramatic when mixed with more traditional type.

Decorative Decorative fonts are ornamentals. They are never used as body text. They often include symbols or flairs that convey specific information or emotions. Use them carefully.