http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serif
http://papress.com/thinkingwithtype/letter/classification.htm
http://www.fonts.com/content/learning/fontology/level-1/type-anatomy/type-classifications
Very calligraphic, with a consistent stress angle and monderate stroke contrast. Bracketed, often asymmetrical.
Transitional Serif
Slightly Calligraphic, with variable stress angle and usually more stroke contrast. Bracketed serifs and bulbous terminals.
Rational Serif
A regularised structure with vertical stress and moderate to high stroke contrast. Some typefaces have thing, unbracketed serifs. Ball terminals.
Contemporary Serif
Styles vary but most have a large x-height, low stroke contrast and large chunky serifs. Very open apertures.
Inscribed / Engraved
Derived from chiselled or engraced letters. Low stroke contrast in common. Serifs can be wedge shaped or similar to those of Humanist. Some have flared terminals.
Grotesque Sans
Similar in structure to transitional or rational serif typefaces. Low stroke contrast and fairly regularly proportions. Round shapes are often oval, not circular.
Neo Grotesque Sans
Like Grotesque, but with more homogeneous forms. Minimal stroke contrast. Closed apertures and horizontal terminals. Round shapes are more circular.
Gothic Sans
American variant of the Grotesque style with simpler, more static forms. Usually with a large x-height, low stroke contrast, and condensed width.
Geometric Sans
Static and clinical. Constructed of shapes that are nearly circular or aquare. Minimal stroke contrast.
Humanist Sans
Counterpart to Humanist Serif. Calligraphic in structure, often with higher stroke contrast than other sans serifs. Open apertures.
Neo-Humanist Sans
Contemporary evolution of Humanist Sans. Larger x-height. Very open apertures. Usually less stroke contrast.
Grotesque Slab
Similar forms to Grotesque sans serifs but with heavy rectangular slab serifs. Closed apertures. Ball terminals are common.
Geometric Slab
Similar forms to Geometric sans serifs but with unbracketed rectangular slab serifs about the same weight as stems.
Humanist Slab
Similar forms to Humanist sans serifs but with unbracketed rectangular or wedge-shaped slab serifs.
Script
Any typeface that emulates handwriting, whether connected cursive or informal print.
Humanist Serif
The first roman typefaces following centuries of handwritten forms, Humanist serifs have close ties to calligraphy. An oblique stress, gradually modulating from thick to thin, shows evidence of a pen held at a consistent angle. That angle is often echoed in letters topped with calligraphic terminals and finished with asymmetrical serifs that gently transition from the stem.
- Humanist letters were initially written with a broad-nib pen held at a consistent angle. The weight of each stroke is determined by the stroke's direction. This is known as 'translation'.
Example: Adobe Jenson, Cala, Bembo Book, FF Clifford, Lexicon, Minion, Garamond Premier,
Transitional Serif
As we move further away from type's calligraphic roots, contrast increases and the stress axis turns more upright and variable within each typeface rather than staying consistent as it does in the Humanist serifs. Letters in these typefaces are more regular in shape and proportion and apertures are slightly smaller. Transitional serifs still have a gradual, bracketed transition from the stem, and terminals are often bulbous.
Example: Baskerville Original, Times New Roman, Arnhem, Plantin, Adobe Caslon
Rational Serif
At the opposite end of the spectrum from the Humanists, Rational serifs have a strone, vertical contrast between thick vertical stems and fine horizontal hairlines. Because these typefaces are not so much written as 'constructed', their letterforms are very even in proportion and structure. Serifs are generally symmetrical, and can be bracketed, like Melior and Miller, or thing and abrupt, like the 'Didones' (Bodoni and Didot).
-Most Rational typefaces are drawn, not written, but their origins still come from the pen. Using a method called 'expansion', stroke weight is defined by the pressure applied to a pointed pen.
Example: ITC Bodoni, Bauer Bodoni, H&FJ Didot, Miller, New Century Schoolbook
Contemporary Serif
In the last forty years, type designers have borrowed the most pragmatic aspects of the previous styles to develop a new breed of highly functional text faces, designed to solve the problems of various substrates and reading environments. These designs generally sport a much larger x-height and lower stroke contrast than traditional serif typefaces, but are otherwise not directly related. They range from the spatially economical Swift to the informal and energetic Doko.
Example: Neue Swift, Skolar, Doko, FF Meta Serif, Fedra Serif
Inscribed / Engraved
Unlike the other serif styles, derived from the stroke of a pen or brush, the typefaces in this category have a closer relationship to letters that are carved or chiselled from stone (also known as Glyphic), or engraved on a hard surface like copper or steel. These typefaces can end their 'strokes' with long, graceful serifs (Trajan), sharp wedge serifs (Modesto) or no serif at all, but a thickening flare instead (Albertus).
Example: Luxury Diamond, Albertus, Modesto, Trajan
Grotesque Sans
When sans serif printing type first appeared in the early to mid-1800s, some found the style so strange they called it 'grotesque'. These typefaces kept the nickname even after they gained popularity and Grotesque (or Grotesk in German-speakers) is now associated with any sans serif in this early style. the characteristics of Grotesque typefaces are similar to those of the Transitional and Rational serifs: regular proportions, relatively static forms based on the oval and fairly closed apertures, with some strokes tuning inward.
Example: Bureau Grot, Knockout, FF Bau
Neo-Grotesque Sans
Neo-Grotesques (Neo-Grotesk in German-speaking parts of Europe) are even more rationalised extensions of the Grotesque style. These typefaces, pioneered by Helvetica and Univers, have very little stroke contrast, horizontal terminals and quite closed apertures. their homogenised forms are graphically appealing at large sizes, so they often fare better in Display settings.
Example: Univers, Neue Helvetica, National, Akkurat, Antique Olive
Gothic Sans
Some English and American variants of the Grotesque style are known as Gothics. While the differences are sometimes in name alone, there are a few distinctions that can be drawn (at least from the selections in this book.) These include a large x-height, forms that are simpler and more static, very low contrast, and often a condensed width with an upright stance derived from flat-sided rounds. Typefaces like DIN - designed by engineers for industrial use - could be considered Geometric sans serifs but also share many traits with these Gothics.
Example: Bell Centennial, News Gothic, Benton Sans, Whitney
Geometric Sans
The most static and clinical of all the classifications, Geometic sans serifs are 'constructed' out of geometric forms with round parts that are circular or square. It's important to not that, while shapes like the 'o' appear to be exactly round, most proper typefaces do not contain perfect circles, but are optically corrected to appear as round as possible while harmonious with other letters. Geometrics have minimal stroke contrast, and italics are commonly slanted versions of the romans rather than cursive in form.
Example: Avenir, Futura ND, Gotham, FF DIN, Forza, ICT Avant Garde Gothic, Verlag
Humanist Sans
Like their serif counterparts, Humanist sans serifs have roots in calligraphy. Their round dynamic, open forms have higher stroke contrast than the other sans serif classifications. (though not as much as most serifs). These typefaces sometimes share the binocular 'g' and variable letter widths of their serif sisters. Their italics are 'true italics' with cursive forms of 'a', 'g', 'e', and sometimes a descending 'f'.
Example: Gill Sans, Frutiger, Myriad, Verdana, Syntax, Optima, Auto
Neo-Humanist Sans
The digital era gave birth to new sans serifs that share characteristics with other classifications but are individual enough to deserve a label of their own. Many of these have a dynamic structure that could be considered an evolution of the Humanist sans, but stroke contrast is reduced and apertures are even more open. The round shapes of typefaces in this category tend to be more square than their predecessors and x-heights are larger on the whole.
Example: FF Meta, Amplitude, Fedra Sans, FF Dax, FF Balance
Grotesque Slab
If one were to weigh the typical examples of each classification, these bulky beasts would tip the scale furthest. Although they arnt simply Grotesque sans serifs with slab serifs slapped on, these typefaces reflect the proportions, structure and stroke contrast of their serifless counterparts. Ball terminals are common among Grotesque slabs, as are heavy bracketed serifs and closed apertures. The effect of these attention grabbers can be decorative and eye-catching, and is usually very bold.
Example: Giza, Clarendon, Farao, Heron Serif
Geometric Slab
These slab serifs share the geometrically round of square shapes of their sans counterparts. Rectangular serifs are unbracketed and generally the same weight as the stems. In fact, all strokes are essentally of the same weight, lacking any perceptible contrast. The 'R' leg is a straight diagonal and 'g' is normally of the monocular form.
Example: Archer, Neutraface Slab, Rockwell
Humanist Slab
Put simply, you could take a Humanist sans serif and add unbracketed, rectangular serifs and get pretty close to a Humanist Slab. These typefaces often have less stroke contrast than their sans counterparts, and the serifs are sometimes wedge shaped.
Example: Adelle, FF Unit Slab, PMN Caecilia, Freight Micro
Script
Traditionally, a script typeface emulates handwriting, whether its letters are a graceful, connected cursive or the staccato scribbles of a daily shopping list. Besides the formal and informal categories, scripts can also be sorted by the writing tool, such as pen or brush. Script fonts have become increasingly sophisticated in recent years thank to technical developments like OpenType.
Discretionary ligatures and contextual alternatives yield a more convincing emulation of real handwriting and offer a variety of decorative options.
Example: Radio, Kinescope, Studio Slant, Tangier
The Geometry of Type, By Stephen Coles / Foreword by Erik Spiekermann
(Page 12 - 21)
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