Typography Talk: Types of Type

 Types of type.  I like that.  It has a nice double-meaning sort of ring to it.

Today, I want to talk a little bit about different kinds of fonts and their classifications, specifically serif and sans serif typefaces.  You've probably heard me throw those words around a whole lot, and I think many of you already know what they mean, but I wanted to take today to talk about these types of fonts in an effort to explain them, but even more than that, I wanted to show you just how amazing both of these font types can be.

Let's start with serif fonts.  A serif font is what I've chosen as the main font for this series, and I've used the same font, Adobe Garamond Pro, as an example to help explain real quick what a serif font is.  Here's an example.

Basically, what this means is that this font has "serifs."  What are serifs, you ask?  Those little endings on the letters that poke out from the basic letter form.  I've circled one on the "B" so you know what they look like.  There are lots of other serifs to be found on that little canvas, too.

Feeling-wise, serif fonts tend to look more traditional.  Times New Roman is another example of a serif font - and that's a font you're probably all familiar with.  Georgia, Century, and zillions more would also be considered serif fonts.

I personally love serif fonts.  They look so classic and comfortable.  Serif fonts are what's been used for centuries in design and printing, and they're really quite lovely.  And there are some pretty neat things I've found on Etsy that make use of serif fonts in creative ways.  I'll share a couple of them with you with little blurbs about why I like them.

I like that tote bag a lot.  Simple brilliance is hard to achieve, and I love it when I find it!  I also love that this is an atypical take on using a serif font.  Most people would just type something, but this designer thought outside the box. (Find the cool tote bag.  It's too bad that it's already been sold...)  Here's another neat item.

Aren't those fun?  I love vintage paper goods.  (Get these great gift bags.)  Here's another item from the first shop I mentioned, The Little Studio.  They have some innovative, fun stuff.

Isn't this such a cool idea?  I think these are probably the most unique coasters I have ever seen.  (Buy the fabulous coasters.)

I'm so happy about the fun serif finds I came across.  Etsy is quite grand.  Before I move onto sans serif fonts, I want to show you a little technique I like.  You have probably noticed this before, but I like to write in all lower case in serif fonts.  I think it looks especially nice in Adobe Garamond Pro.  I'm not totally sure why I like it so much, but it just seems to give a more funky twist to the classic uses of serif fonts.

I know that the message on that little graphic doesn't really have anything to do with the current series, but it is December, and it is almost the new year.  So I thought I would just make that the subject of my example.

Oh, one more quick note before I move on... have you noticed that all the examples I gave used only black and white?  That's one beautiful thing about typography.  It can be nice without color!  Color can definitely enhance typography, but type isn't dependent on color, which I think is neat.

Okay, moving on to sans serif fonts.  I love these, too.  I don't think I necessarily like one or the other better... I mean, I guess I would lean towards sans serif if I had to choose.  But I truly like both, and there are some marvels of type design in both categories.

First, let me explain what sans serif fonts are.  "Sans" simply means "without," and so "sans serif" means "without serif."  Here's an illustration.

Do you see the circle on the "B," just in the same place as it was on the serif example?  Well, on this "B," there's no serif, or "sans serif."

So, sans serif fonts don't have serifs.  It's that simple!  They usually tend to have a more clean, modern look.  Some other examples of sans serif fonts, besides Arial, would be Helvetica (arguably the best font ever), Futura, and one of my favorite free fonts, Geosans Light.

There are some excellent sans serif items to be found on Etsy, and I'd like to show you three of my favorites.  I've used Arial for the descriptions, just for the sake of using a sans serif font to describe sans serif items!  Here's the first thing I want to show you...

I really do love this poster.  I want it on my wall!  (Buy this creative type poster.)

This magazine rack is amazing!  Isn't it such a cool idea?  (Buy this super cool magazine rack.)

I love the color of this poster, too.  It's very bright and fun.  (Get this great typeface print.)

I hope you like those sans serif items.  I think they are very cool.  Before I tie up this post, I want to give you someplace to go.  If you're looking for great design using sans serif fonts, check Matthew Wahl's work.  I like this, this, this, and this in particular!

Enjoy your day.  And comment etc. to enter to win.  The giveaway ends tonight at midnight, so please take advantage of this limited opportunity to enter. :)  You can go back on previous posts and comment there, too, if you haven't already.