SELECTING TYPEFACES
Type is the first impression you have of what you’re about to read. Each type face, like a human face, has a subtle character all its own. Depending on which face you choose, the same words can have many different shades of meaning. And since you must have type in order to have words, why not make sure those words are presented in the most elegant, or the most powerful, or the softest way possible?

MODERN SERIF
What may at first seem an odd term for typefaces that first appeared in the late 1700’s, Moderns are the result of several technological changes of the period. The newest technology was copperplate engraving, which influenced contemporary type designs, as did innovations in printing technology and paper quality. Moderns are characterized by extremely high contrast, axes that are vertical, and serifs that are horizontal and unbracketed. Moderns are excellent display faces and, when used with care, can also be effective in text layouts.

Examples: Bodoni, Century Expanded, New Century Schoolbook

TRANSITIONAL SERIF
During the 1700’s, type styles gradually evolved from Old Style to Modern. With features of both, Transitional faces form a bridge between Venetian Old Style types and the more mechanical Modern faces of the late 18th century. In Transitionals, the axes of the round characters are barely inclined, the contrast between hairlines and main strokes is more accentuated, and the serifs are flat. These faces are also beautifully suited for text and body copy

Examples: Bookman, Caslon, Century, Clearface, Janson, New Baskerville, Stone Serif, Tiffany, Times

SLAB OR EGYPTIAN SERIF
The industrial revolution of the early 19th century resulted in mass-production and, eventually, advertising. Posters and flyers, fighting for attention, encouraged the development of very bold printing types. Initially called Egyptians, Slab or Square Serif types have elements (stems as well as serifs) which appear to have the same stroke thickness. Usually the serifs are unbracketed— although this group also includes the Clarendons, which have bracketed slab serifs. These attention-getting faces are extremely effective for display requirements or to give the look of “difference” to body copy and tables.

Examples: Cheltenham, Clarendon, Italia, Lubalin, Melior, Memphis, Rockwell, Square Serif, Stymie

SANS SERIF
As the name implies, Sans Serif faces have no serifs. Although the first typeface of this kind was issued in 1816, they didn’t gain true popularity until over 100 years later in Germany’s Bauhaus movement. Sans serifs are generally divided into four categories: early designs such as News Gothic are called Grotesque; the Bauhaus-influenced sans serif types like Futura are called Geometrics; more recent Swiss designs like Univers are called New-Grotesque; and types such as Optima, which attempt to blend some features of serif types into sans serif, are called Humanist. Sans Serifs are highly legible as display types, may also be used successfully in text and are ideal for laying out business forms such as applications, invoices or proposals.

Examples: Arial, Avant Garde, Eras, Franklin Gothic, Futura, Gill Sans, Microstyle, Optima, Stone Sans, Univers

SCRIPT, GOTHIC AND CALLIGRAPHIC
This group comprises typefaces originally derived from handwriting and calligraphic techniques. The large variety of writing instruments leads to a corresponding variety of type faces— some casual in nature, others quite formal and elegant— which makes them appropriate for everything from wedding invitations to sophisticated logos and headings. Script, Gothic and Calligraphic faces should never be set in all capital letters.

Examples: Aristocrat, Cathedral, Coronet, Hadfield, Kauffman, Marriage, Murray Hill, Park Avenue, Rose Roundhand, Vivante, Wedding Text, Zapf Chancery

DECORATIVE
The typefaces in this group cannot be attributed with certainty to any single trend, since they incorporate elements from many diverse styles and, in some cases, no particular style at all! They are not, and are generally not intended to be, text faces used for body copy. They are most effective when used for display purposes such as headlines and titles.

Examples: Blippo, Comic Strip, Cooper Black, Dom Casual, Ivy League, Peignot, Pittsburgh, Umbra

At Chameleon Printing & Copying, we know how to use type effectively to convey your message to your customers and prospects. We’re not new to this profession, either. We’ve been setting type long before the advent of page layout software for the desktop computer or laser printers were even around. We have over 3000 typefaces at our disposal from decorative display fonts to formal scripts and from simple sans serif faces to conservative serif fonts for easy reading.

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