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Examples of different font styles

Blackletter (Old English) (1) (2) (3)
pre 1500s, resemble handwritten calligraphy. Mostly used for display type now.

Old Style (Antiqua) (1) (2)
1500s, inspired by roman letters
Consistent width of strokes and serifs
Rounding at end of serifs.
Very readable.

Transitional (1) (2)
1700s
Vertical strokes thicker than horizontal
wide and readable
fonts considered now to be "generic serif fonts", very neutral

Modern (New Antiqua) (1) (2)
Late 1700s
High contrast between thick and thin strokes

Slab-Serif - within Transitional period (1) (2) (3) (4)
Around 1815
Thick strokes, easy to read from a distance

Sans-serif (1) (2) (3)
Not commonly used before 1900s though some were used in 1800s.
Embraced by Bauhaus
Simple geometric forms

Display/ Decorative (1) (2)
Everything that isn't a serif-or sans-serif. Script (handwriting fonts) also count here.

 

 

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