Posted on September 5, 2008 - by Impress Lab

Dissecting Serif Fonts

Serif fonts are a class of classy, old style fonts based on the handlettering of scribes. To paint a picture of what a serif font is, consider that the serif fonts are originally designed by handwriting with a wedge-tipped pen.

The calligraphy style creation of serif fonts results in the “foots” on the letters and the sharp angles. All serif fonts have common unique styling in terms of angles, stroke, stress.

Serif Fonts

There are several common serif fonts that can be used in print design and are safe for use on the web. Perhaps the most common serif font is Times. Other widely-used serif fonts include Garamond, Goudy, Palatino, and Baskerville.

Angles and Footers Oh My!

The most recognizable feature of serif fonts are the sharp angled strokes at the ends of the letters, especially the top and bottom. Officially called a serif, these angles are most pronounced at the base of most letters, creating a foot for th letter to stand on.

Depending on the exact serif font used, the angle and size of the serif may differ. More exactly, the precise ending of the serif (for example, a blunt end or a tampered end) will also vary slightly on each serif font.

Stroke Weight

From thick to thin, the stroke of each letter varies. In fact, some parts of a particular letter is thicker or thinner than other parts of the letter. The letter “O” provides a perfect example, regardless of serif font used:

All curved serif letters have this thick/thin stroke weight, technically called a “thick/thin transition.”

Stress

Finally, some serif fonts such as Goudy have angled stress rather than the standard vertical stress. The stress is the line that would connect to thin (or two thick) strokes. In the example above, using the Garamond font, the stress is vertical. But the Goudy font in particular has an angled stress:

Using Serif Fonts

Serif fonts look best when combined (in other words, contrasted) with sans-serif fonts. Sans-serif fonts do not include the angled serif on the ends of the letters.

Serif fonts are most commonly used in formal settings. But since most websites use sans-serif fonts for their body text (like this site), a sprinkling of serif fonts can make a refreshing difference. Serif fonts can and should be used in design to contrast text from the standard sans-serif font. The calligraphy styling will automatically create a warmer, more formal look and instantly draw the attention of the reader.

General Warnings

In almost any setting, sans-serif fonts such as Arial look best for body text since they are easy to read regardless of size or color. However, serif fonts such as Times are best for paragraph headings are larger text. Serif fonts look best when they are large to highlight the angles and stress.

However, in general, serif fonts are more suited for personal or informational purposes. Although serif fonts are elegant and formal, they tend to not look to well when used for more business purposes. For example, businesses usually used standard, straight fonts like Arial as opposed to serif fonts.

This does not mean that serif fonts have no place in business designing. Serif fonts can be used tastefully for the right purpose; for example, a flyer for a formal event should use serif fonts heavily.