A while ago Smashing Magazine did an article on 80 Beautiful Typefaces for Professional Design. We had a little discussion about it over at I Love Typography, too. One thing that appalled me was all the classic typefaces that were missing from the SM list!
Staple Serifs
Garamond was originally designed by Claude Garamond in 1530. It is a beautiful, humanistic face, with cupped serifs and solid design. This is one of my personal favorites. I use it in a lot of designs because it seems to go well with almost everything. There are few situations in which Garamond would be an inappropriate choice. Garamond is very readable at smaller sizes because of its tall x-height. Look at the beaks on the uppercase T and Z and notice how the left ones are tilted out a bit. The lowercase j descends below the baseline.
Caslon is also a font with a history that dates back a considerable way. It was designed by William Caslon in 1725. It has a shorter x-height that Garamond, and it is also an elegant typeface. Caslon is said to have been the first original typeface of English origin. Take special note of the apex of the uppercase A and the unique tail on the Q. The T also has flared beaks.
Sabon is used in many books because it is very legible at small sizes. It may not be an incredibly notable font in terms of a unique look, but it is reliable and another face that cannot easily be misused. It was designed by Jan Tschichold in the mid-1960’s and is based on the work of Claude Garamond. In Sabon, it is the numbers 5, 6 and 9 that are quite unique. Also note the open bowl on the uppercase P, while it is closed on the R. The lowercase j also extends below the baseline with Sabon.
Jenson looks like a font that was inspired by letterpress characters. It was originally designed in 1470 by Nicolas Jenson. Jenson is unique because it has little “flaws” that make it feel very organic. This is not a typeface that the designers tried to make look perfect. It has a low x-height and is great for body copy. Jenson has slightly longer ascenders. The o has a slightly biased stress and the upper and lowercase j extends below the baseline of Jenson, too. The lowercase x and y are interesting to look at, as well as uppercase R.
Classic Sans Serifs
Franklin Gothic was designed in 1904 by Morris Fuller Benton. It is a nice alternative to using a serif font and it has thick and thin strokes, much in the spirit of the serifed fonts. The lowercase a and g also harken back to the serif versions of these letters. Franklin Gothic does tend to be a bit heavy in a composition, so it should probably not be used for long bits of copy.
Univers was designed by Adrian Frutiger. It is a rather unique family because it has an extensive numbering system where the face gets thinner, thicker, extended or condensed depending on which way the numbers go. Univers 55 is considered the standard on which all the others are based. Notice the square dots on the lowercase i and j and the shoulder in the f. Univers has short descenders and ascenders. The tail on the uppercase Q sits on the baseline and the R seems to have a rather uncharacteristic curve in its leg.
Helvetica is probably the most over-used font aside from Arial or Times New Roman. Some might blame it on the generic nature of the face, I would argue that it is actually the versatility of it. It is a fairly recent design, only dating back as far as the 1950’s. Helvetica is clear, legible and a staple in the world of sans serifs. I would caution against using it in identity design, though! Despite its plain appearance, the lowercase y and a and the uppercase R and G do have a little bit of flare to them.
Futura was designed in the 1920’s during the Art Deco movement by Paul Renner. It looks very geometric; the bowls of the a, b, d, etc are very round and the uppercase N would fit into a perfect square. Notice the bowls of the b, d, g, p and q are slightly offset. The lowercase j is also quite unusual because of its lack of a curved terminal.
Beef Up Your Repertoire
By becoming intimately familiar with a handful of fonts, you will begin to notice all the nuances that make each ideal for various purposes and messages. Pick two serif fonts and two sans serif fonts and only use those for a while. See how familiar you become with them. Once you have a good handle on those four, try adding one or two more of each style. Pretty soon you’ll be using 30 different fonts and you’ll know when to use which.
This is the last of our little primer on typography! Just in case you missed any of the previous articles:
- The Finishing Typographical Touches – alignment, justification, rivers, lakes, widows and orphans
- Want People to Read Your Copy? Make it Legible! – tracking, kerning, leading
- Matching Type to Message – looking closely at the mood your typeface choices create
- WHY YOU SHOULDN’T TYPE IN ALL CAPS – ascenders and descenders
- Sound Smart. Talk About Type – serif, sans serif, x-height and baseline
And if you’re a really big Type Nut and this wasn’t enough for you, head on over to I Love Typography, join in the conversation! Oh, and if you’re more of a web designer, check out this great article on 16 Best-Loved Font Bits In Web Design on Inspiration Bit (there’s also a really handy Mixing Typefaces Cheat Sheet that Vivien shared with us over there). And whether you are a design student or not, you’ll probably find David Airey’s Typography Tips and Advice for Students useful.
What do you think of this list? Any you would add? Any you would take away? Which faces will you choose to familiarize yourself with?
Technorati Tags: Graphic Design, Typography, Font, Typeface, Serif, Sans Serif
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20 responses so far ↓
1 johno // Sep 10, 2007 at 10:44 am
Great. A typeface tour de force. I love Univers. Even more impressive in that Frutiger designed 21 versions in five weights and five widths.
Very good advice to start off with just a handful of typefaces. It’s so tempting for people to download 25,000 free fonts, and then in their enthusiasm attempt to use them all within a week. The results, well…MySpace on acid comes to mind.
So, very sound advice. Many fonts are like colleagues and acquaintances, but a few will always be close friends.
2 LaurenMarie // Sep 10, 2007 at 11:36 am
You speak about typography the way most people speak about a person! Your passion for the subject really shines and inspires, John. I think that’s one reason iLT is so popular. A good typography teacher is like a good history teacher, it makes all the difference in whether you love or hate the subject.
I’m glad you approve of my top choices
Yes, the Univers family is very extensive! And Frutiger didn’t just add a faux bold in Photoshop to make all those variation either. They are well thought out and the proportions are meticulously planned. Impressive to say the least.
3 David Airey // Sep 10, 2007 at 12:38 pm
I too, was perplexed at the Smashing Magazine choices. You’ve picked an excellent handful here, with Univers and Garamond two of my all-time favourites.
To add the this selection, I also enjoy Clarendon, and Bodoni, and whilst Gill Sans has its imperfections, I’ve used it on quite a few occasions.
4 johno // Sep 10, 2007 at 12:44 pm
Funny that you should mention Clarendon, David. I bought an egg and something sandwich from Starbucks today—set in Clarendon. Shame the sandwich didn’t live up to the type…I mean “hype”.
5 Nathania - Bold Interactive // Sep 10, 2007 at 12:59 pm
Johno - is that Clarendon in Arlington, VA? I used to hang out in Clarendon all the time! I lived near Ballston and then in Alexandria. Now in NC.
Anyway, Laurie, I love Garamond! How could it be left out of any comprehensive font guide!!?!??!
6 LaurenMarie // Sep 10, 2007 at 1:22 pm
David, I thought about adding Gill Sans but I wanted the list to be a solid set of 8 choices. Honestly, I’m not too keen on Bodoni though. It’s always felt a little awkward to me! I think I just don’t care too much for modern typefaces. Thanks for adding to the list.
John, you really are a type nut!
Nathania, I am not sure how Garamond was left out. There were quite a few that I was absolutely shocked to not see there! They had many more sans serif choices than serif ones, though. I’m not sure why either (perhaps because they tend to focus on what’s good for web?)
7 David Airey // Sep 11, 2007 at 2:32 am
Trust Starbucks to let Clarendon down.
Avenir is another I really enjoy.
8 LaurenMarie // Sep 11, 2007 at 9:25 am
I haven’t seen Avenir before. That is a nice one! It’s very round and I like the lowercase a. And the lowercase y and j are nice, too, with the little hook on the descender.
Another serif font I like is Aldine.
9 Tara: Graphic Design Blog // Sep 11, 2007 at 10:01 am
I always have a major problem finding nice serifs - I really like Sabon and also use Janson Text - I thought at first this was the same as your Jenson (and I had been mispelling it - now that wouldn’t surprise me
) What I find difficult is finding modern looking serifs - if you have any suggestions Lauren I would love to hear them
10 LaurenMarie // Sep 11, 2007 at 11:02 am
Yes, Janson and Jenson are different. Janson is probably the more popular but I really love the way Jenson looks. It’s so organic and natural.
What do you mean by “modern”? You mean the family of serifs, like Bodoni? Or do you mean more of a “now” look?
11 Tara: Graphic Design Blog // Sep 11, 2007 at 12:06 pm
I meant a more “now” look
12 inspirationbit // Sep 11, 2007 at 2:02 pm
thanks for the mention, Lauren. You’ve listed some very well-known and friendly typefaces out there. just like Mr. Typography said “a few will always be close friends”.
I also like AvantGarde, Baskerville; for web - Georgia (I especially love the numbers in that typeface), and Myriad or Monaco for my code in the editors (I hate to be guessing and making mistakes because number “1”, lowercase “l” and capital “I” look almost the same in some typefaces).
P.S. I’m having a really hard time accessing your blog, Lauren
This comment was saved in my drafts since yesterday, I couldn’t get it submitted until now.
13 LaurenMarie // Sep 11, 2007 at 4:39 pm
I can’t think of anything off the top of my head, Tara. Perhaps you can ask John? He’s the resident typography genius here!
AvantGarde and Baskerville are both very nice. I agree with you about the 1, l and I. I hate that too! I wonder why type designers do that…
Vivien, I am very sorry you’re having so much trouble. (and I must say thank you for being persistant in trying to leave your comment! I appreciate it!!) On my end, once I complained to my host about the sporadic nature of my connection, I noticed a significant improvement and hardly ever get that server time out message. Is that the one you’re still getting?
Anyone else reading this, have you notice connection issues? Please let me know!
14 johno // Sep 12, 2007 at 10:24 am
Modern Serif. Well, I guess that’s pretty subjective. Personally I think that Neutraliser Serif looks modern and clean. Also, perhaps Aquarius or TS Helium which sports an x-height the size of Mt Everest.
What were you intending to use it for? Copy? Or…?
15 inspirationbit // Sep 12, 2007 at 10:42 am
Yes, Lauren, I’m getting those “server time out” messages, usually after 6pm PST, can’t get to your site in evenings. :-(
16 johno // Sep 12, 2007 at 10:53 am
Yes, me too, though intermittently.
If you need a new host, let me know.
17 LaurenMarie // Sep 12, 2007 at 11:18 am
Ah, John to the rescue! What do you think of those choices, Tara? TS Helium has an interesting lowercase g! What family of serifs would those go in? They’re quite unique. Not quite as classy as the humanist faces, imho
Ugh, thanks for letting me know about my server’s issues guys. What a pain! I’ll probably end up getting a new host then. This is unacceptible and I’m sure there are tons of others out there who are not as loyal and patient as you two! What host would you suggest John?
18 Tara: Graphic Design Blog // Sep 13, 2007 at 2:40 pm
Hi, thanks for the suggestions Johno. my email has been down so it has taken me a day to realise you have made suggestions (sorry) I will take a look - thanks again.
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