Non-Designer’s Type Book, The, Second Edition

Remember Those Categories of Type?

First of all, remember those general categories of type you read about in the beginning of this book? And remember the sections on readability and legibility? Understanding those categories and concepts is important in helping narrow your choices, so let’s review them.

Oldstyle faces have slanted serifs, gradual thick-to-thin strokes, and a slanted stress (the O appears tilted). The original oldstyle faces were created for books, so they are eminently readable.

Modern faces have thin, horizontal serifs, radical thick-to-thin strokes, and a vertical stress (the O does not appear to tilt). If there is more than a paragraph or two of a modern face, the strong thick/thin contrast in the letterforms creates a “dazzling” ...