• Use type as part of your design, to help convey your message.
  • It must be considered along with other elements when applying design principles, such as balance.

• You should be able to identify the basic groups of type:
  • Text (or Black Letter),
  • Roman (Old Style, Transitional and Modern),
  • Sans Serif,
  • Square Serif,
  • Scripts,
  • Cursives, and
  • Novelty.
• Here are some details to help you differentiate the Roman types.
  
  

Serifs

• Notice that Modern Roman type has much more variation between its thick and thin strokes than does Old Style.
• Modern's serif is straight, whereas Old Style's serif curves outward and is bracketed from the stem.

From Theodore E. Conover, Graphic Communication Today, 3rd Ed.

Old Style Roman

• In addition to the only-slight contrast between thick and thin strokes, Old Style also features a slight tilt to the round letters.
• The ascenders' serifs are tilted.
• The serif is gracefully bracketed from the stem and ends in a point.

From Theodore E. Conover, Graphic Communication Today, 3rd Ed.

Transitional/Modern Roman

• The contrast between thick and thin strokes increases from Old Style to Transitional Roman, and is strongest in Modern.
• The tilt of the round letters begins to straighten in Transitional, while the round letters in Modern are vertical.
• The ascenders' serifs in Transitional aren't tilted as much as in Old Style and are horizontal in Modern.
• The serifs are bracketed in Transitional, but they end in squared-off points. Modern's seifs aren't usually bracketed and always end in squared-off points.

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