A Short Guide to Serif Typefaces by Naomi Farrar

Q Continuous construction Traditional transitional shape Regular proportions Gradual medium contrast with vertical axis. High contrast in long tail. Meduim in colour and weight. Refined, tapered Roman serifs and terminals.

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Baskerville- transitional typeface, by John Baskerville 1757

f- Softened teardrop

g- Double storey with

t- Thick stroke with

y- Thick and thin

- Vertical, slightly splayed terminals. - Slightly vertical, almost curved spur. - Use of thick and thins. Both head and foot serifs are tapered and Roman. - Uses thick and thins. Two head serifs, one foot at left.

terminal on ascender.

open tail, small apeture and teardrop ear.

thin horizonatal cross bar. No serif on bar. Concave apex on ascender.

strokes with refined Roman serifs and teardrop tail on descender.

Bell MT typeface.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz With no emphatic points of transition this letter Q has continuous construction. Smooth transitions between the strokes and no breaks in the elements. Variants to the traditional Q form exist,curv-ing the normally straight tail.

Other properties include an oval aspect of curves in a concave fashion. Also a large x height, which sits below the baseline. The colour is black with the weight set at medium.

The lower cases in the font The relative difference between such as g and a are double thickest & thinnest lines is high, as in this Q. The x-height storied. Horizontal crossbars & flat apexâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also exist in Bell. terminals for the c, r & are No spurs are present. The completely rounded. Whereas shape of the font embodies the uppercase terminals such as edges parallel and the F & E are vertical and symmetrical.

Bembo

The Bembo regular lowercase 'a' is double storey and has complete construction

with parallel edges on the upright stem. The modelling contrast is high and the axis of contrast is verticle thick. The

transition of modelling is fairly abrupt

similar to that of 'Times'. Weight of the letterform is medium in colour with

other weights available up to extra bold.

Baseline terminal hooked stroke has a flat tip whilst the upper terminal is sheared.

Bembo lowercase'g' is a double storey letterform with complete construction. The main characteristic which differenciates it from Times is the upper ear has a more abrupt transition and the horitzontal stroke is not parralell on both sides.

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20/01/2011 09:25

Letter Form: Capi tall etter R Constructi on: Conti nuous constructi on. Shape: Tradi ti onalf orm.Upri ghtstem wi th paral l eledges.Exaggerated bowltreatmentwi th a conti nuous curve. Proporti ons: Regul ar capi talwi dth. Model l i ng: Medi um contrastwi th a verti calaxi s.The transi ti on i s gradual .

Wei ght: Medi um wei ghtand col our. Termi nati ons: Bl unttapered sl ab seri f s whi ch are bracketed. Key Characters: Hori zontalcrossbar. Strai ghtl eg wi th bracketed sl ab seri f . Si ts on the basel i ne.

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Clarendon Black BT ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890 ({[!@£$%^&*<>?:’”\|-_+=±§]})

J QU ayg

The letter ‘J’ has a key characteristic within the Clarendon typeface as the serif is somewhat like a large circle on the serif tail. The transition of the letter is also quite abrupt. The uppercase ‘J’ shown sits directly on the baseline.

‘Q’ in Clarendon Black has the distinct, long tail that dissects the bowl. Yet again the transition of the letter is quite abrupt.

The ‘U’ may not be the most distinct letter in the typeface but a key characterisitic within all the letters in Clarendon Black is the slab serifs each uppercase letter seems to have. The other running theme being the abrupt transition.

Clarendon Black has a double storey ‘a’ the transition of the lowercase letters in this typeface are quite gradual unlike the uppercase.

Like the letter ‘J,’ letter ‘y’ has a circle on the serif tail. These are quite key characteristics as they differ from the slab serifs on the uppercase letters.

This ‘g’ is quite extraordinary as it is a double story with a closed tail. also the letter has a serif tail like the letters ‘J’ and ‘y.’ The transition of this letter is also more abrupt than most as the shapes make two continuous circles.

A serif font with continuous construction, lining figures, curved thicks and thins and a round shape. The proportions are medium with regular capital widths, ascenders slightly above the cap height and a small x-height. The modelling is medium with the transition gradual and a medium weight. The terminations are tapered serifs that are very sharp and refined, with the exception of the A which has an oblique rectangular serif at it’s cap. The upper terminals are symmetrical, as seen in the T. The Key characters are J due to it being the only capital letter with a fully-rounded serif that sits on the baseline, B with it’s overlapping counters, and Q with its detached long tail.

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Cochin Regular

ot Did r & ) efle (Ho -Jones re Fre

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Didot is a name given to a group of typefaces named after the famous French printing and type producing family. The classification is known as modern, or Didone. The typeface takes inspiration from John Baskerville’s experimentation with increasing stroke contrast and a more condensed armature. The Didot family’s development of a high contrast typeface with an increased stress is contemporary to similar faces developed by Giambattista Bodoni in Italy. Didot is described as neoclassical, and is evocative of the Age of Enlightenment.

Typeface: Didot (Regular) Construction: Continuous construction using a round pen Shape: Traditional form, upright stem edges parallel, continuous curves. Proportions: Medium width, following Roman square capital proportions. Ascenders equal to cap-height. X-height is proportionate to large cap-height. Modelling: High contrast with vertical stress. Gradual transition between thicks and thins. Weight: Medium in colour. Terminations: Flat serifs. (As opposed to tapered/bracketed serifs in Bodoni with which Didot is often confused. Another distinguishing feature is their rounder bowls).

Key characters:

alt WJQR Decoration: None A Comparison To Times New Roman: Didot and Times New Roman share the same continuous construction, of a traditional form with parallel upright stems and continuous curves. Times New Roman has a slightly narrower width, although still following Roman square capital proportions. Times New Roman’s ascenders are slightly above the cap-height, and the contrast is a lot lower between Times’ thicks and thins. Times also has a bracketed serif, whereas Didot’s are flat. Both typefaces have double storey ‘a’s and ‘g’s and are medium in colour.

The Quick Brown Fox Didot

The Quick Brown Fox Times New Roman

Footlight MT Light The key defining characteristic of the letter ‘G’ that allow you to identify this typeface is the shape of the vertical spur. The other formal attributes of the typeface include: • Continuous construction • Traditional forms with straight lines • Continuous, round curves

• • • • • • • • •

Closed bowl treatment Upright slightly flared stems Medium width proportions Ascenders higher than capheight Large x-height Exaggerated contrast Angled axis of contrast Abrupt transition Medium in colour

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Typeface Analysis Garamond

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz Times New Roman

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GG Garamond

Times New Roman

Construction Continuous construction for both typefaces.

Shape The curves are continuous for both typefaces. Garamond’s aspect of curves circular apposed to Times New Roman’s round, but slightly square aspect. (This is especially apparent on the letter ‘O’) The stems are both upright ans flared for both typefaces. However Timesbrackets are more rounded. The positioning of the crossbars is central for both typefaces. Proportions The width of both typefaces are mediumm however Garamond is slightly wider. Both capital widths are Roman square. The ascenders are both equal to the cap-height Garamond’s x-height is slightly shorter than Times New Roman because of its circular curves. Modelling The contrast is medium on both typeface. There is no axis of contrast for either typeface. There is no transition for either typeface. Weight Both typefaces are medium in colour. They both have a regualr weight however Times New Roman’s ‘regular’ weight is heavier than Garamond’s. Terminations They both have beak stroke on their baselines. Tapered serifs appear on the baselines as sharp and refined. All ascender terminals are tapered serifs. Specific characters such as a, c and j vary with Times New Roman’s having softened teardrop lobes and Garamond’s having a less definied softened teardrop lobe. The upper and lower terminals on ‘E’ and ‘F’ are symmetrical and splayed. Key Characters ‘a’ Double story. ‘e’ horizontal cross-bar ‘f ’ sitting on the baseline ‘g’ double story closed tail ‘A’ for Garamond is flat and for Times New Roman is pointed ‘G’ no spur ‘J’ for Garamond descends below the baseline and sits on the baseline for Times New Roman. ‘Q’ has a long tail ‘R’ has a straight led with serif.

Typeface Analysis Garamond

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz Times New Roman

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

GG Garamond

Times New Roman

Construction Continuous construction for both typefaces.

Hoefler Text

the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890 !@£$%^&*()_-+=\’;:/<>,.?”`~ Continuous construction of a serif typeface, with non-lining figures, thicks and thins and a smaller x-height compared to Times New Roman. The proportions are medium and have irregular capital widths and the ascenders are equal to the cap-height. Contrast of the typeface is medium, has a vertical axis of contrast and the transition is gradual. The weight of Hoefler Text is medium in colour. The ascender terminals are ‘roman’ with blunt serif. It has hooked strokes, softened teardrop lobes and splayed upper terminals. The upper terminals of E, F and T are symmetrical and splayed. The ‘a’ and the ‘g’ is double-storey, ‘e’ has a horizontal cross-bar and the ‘f ’ is sitting on the baseline, where as ‘J’ decendes below the baseline. The upper case ‘A’ has a pointed apex and the ‘G’ has a horizontal spur.

Upper case A features a thick and thin stroke, joined by a thin crossbar. All structural lines are straight except from when they create the blunt bracketed serifs and the concaved apex. Regular proportions and with high contrasting. Upper case R features thick straight and curved strokes, which all become thin at points of contact and increase to create blunt bracketed serifs. Regular proportions, bowl is of ovular construction and has high contrast. The leg is straight on one side but curved on the other. It finished with a single sided serif.

ITC Caslon 224 STD Weights available: Book, Book Italic, Medium, Medium Italic, Bold, Bold Italic, Black, Black Italic

Lower case F & J featur continuous construction. Both are mainly thick stroked, except from where they reduce to allow adequate visual space for the ball terminals. Both descend below the baseline. The J has a circle tittle and the F carries a delicate cross bar.

Lower case G features continuous curves in an ovalur fashion, with stroke width being thin at points of contact. Regular proportions and high contrasting. Double storey and closed tail. Centrally positioned ear with a ball terminal.

Upper case Q features a majorly continuous construction, with the addition of a long tail, which has blunt terminals. Ovular shape, with regular proportions and high contrast. Vertical axis of contrast and abrupt transitions.

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Kk Koz ukaMi nc hoPr o

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Aa e fGg JQ R s i t t i ngonba s sl i ne doubl es t or y doubl es t or ywi t hc l os e dt a i l

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Vertical slab terminal. Flicking slab serif termination.

Vertical slab terminal.

Expanding slab serif terminal.

Closed tail.

Diagonal terminal slightly taller than x-height but not as tall as cap-height.

Expanding slab serif termination.

1. Lucida Fax was created to be legible when used on fax machines. References typewriter lettering. 2. Thick parallel stems and medium colour to increase legibility when used in fax. 3. Exaggerated bowls with gradual medium constrast from stem to curve. 4. Prominent slab serifs to ensure legibility and a direct influence of typewriter lettering.

5. Medium x-height. 6. Botton curves of letters all descend slightly below the baseline. 7. Medium letter width. 8. Distinctive terminals on letters a, c, g, t and y. Derivatives characters of handwriting.

k Palatino

ABCDE F G HI JKLM NOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz Calligraphic style created through; Tapered head serif High contrast between thick and thins Sharp roman serifs Legibility through; Larger proportions combined with standard ascender height

Features of the k;

Key letters;

Extended leg sits below base- b - axis and contrast of thick and thins in the bowl line Slanted serif to leg j - heavily tapered, sharp tail Small contact point between R - bowl doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t meet stem, legs and stem consistent thickness of leg x - angled head serif, as with kâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leg serif

Gg This type is medium in colour. The lower case letter is a double-story ‘g’ with a traditional closed tail. The baseline termination off the ‘a’ and ‘i’ is a hooked stroke sereif. The capital ‘G’ has no spur. This typeface holds a continuous contruction without any breaks. The ascender is about half the height of the cap-height.The modelling is a gradual transition.

Perpetua This is the letter G both in its upper and lower case. This particular type-face is called Perpetua. It was designed by an English sculptor named Eric Gill. Perpetua can be classified with transitional typefaces because of characteristics such as high stroke contrast and bracketed serifs.

-serif

decender-

bowl

-ascender

-tail

-bracketing

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-x-height-

counter

cap height acender height

baseline

depth of descender

Perpetua A B C D E F G H I J K L MNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqr stuvwxyz Times New Roman A B C D E F G H I J K L MNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over The Lazy Dog Analysis of Perpetua

I would describe Perpetua’s overall look as a more modern and stylish version of Times New Roman. It is thinner and more understated for example it has almost horizontal and blunt/sheared terminals compared with the angles and tear drop lobe terminals of with the than Times New Roman. Construction - Continuous Shape - most of the curves in Perpetua are curved except for the letter ‘o’ which is round and differs from Times New Roman which has a curved ‘o’. Perpetua has upright stems with parallel edges and the cross bars are positioned normally. Proportions - Times New Roman’s capital and lowercase letters are all taller than Perpetua’s but both fonts have just about the same captial and lowercase letter width. Perpetua has ascenders higher than it’s cap-height and a smaller x-height than Times New Roman due to all it’s letters being shorter than Times New Roman. Modelling - Perpetua has a high contrast and an angled axis of contrast except for the ‘o’ which doesn’t have one. The transition in all it’s letters is gradual. Weight - Perpetua has two weights (colour), regular and bold. Terminations - Perpetua has hooked stroke baseline terminals (more hooked than Times New Roman) and sharp and refined serifs very similar to Times New Roman. The ascender terminals are tapered serifs but not as angled as Times New Roman. Perpetua has blunt/sheared terminals on letters like ‘y’ and ‘f’ unlike Times New Roman which has softened tear drop lobes. Key characters - The ‘a’ in Perpetua is double-storied and the capital ‘A’ has a flat apex unlike Times New Roman which has a pointed apex. Perpetua’s capital and lower case ‘J’ and lower case ‘y’are the most characteristic letters compared to Times New Roman.

Sanford

AaBbCcDdEeFf GgHhIiJjKkLlMm NnOoPpQqRrSsTt UuVvWwXxYyZz

ghijklmn Construction: Continuous and non-cursive. Shape: Continuous, round aspect to curves. Parallel upright stems Proportions: Ascenders higher than cap-height. Large x-height. Modelling: Medium contrast. Vertical axis. Gradual transition. Weight: Medium in colour and weight. Terminations: Oblique roman ascender and x-height terminals except v, w, x, y and capitals which are horizontal. Unrefined roman baseline terminal. Key Characters: Double storey a and g with closed tail. Q with double sided tail. Slight extended curve on leg of R. Horizontal crossbars. Sitting on baseline.

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