Evolution of types (from bembo up to 19th century)

 

 

this category includes the first Roman types, originally created between the late 15th and mid 18th centuries. 

1. the axis of curved strokes is normally inclined to the left in these designs, so that weight stress is at approximately 8:00 and 2:00 o’clock. 

2. the contrast in character stroke weight is not dramatic, and hairlines tend to be on the heavy side. serifs are almost always bracketed in old style designs and head serifs are often angled. 

3. some versions, like the earlier Venetian old style designs, are distinguished by the diagonal cross stroke of the lowercase "e."

transitional. printer and typographer John Baskerville established this style in the mid 18th century. 

1. these types represent the transition between old style and neoclassical designs, and incorporate some characteristics of each. Baskerville’s work with calendered paper* and improved printing methods (both developed by him) allowed much finer character strokes to be reproduced and subtler character shapes to be maintained. 

2. the strokes normally have a vertical stress. weight contrast is more pronounced than in old style designs. serifs are still bracketed and head serifs are oblique.

a propos of serif, here you are:

now we have,

neoclassical typefaces are created within the late 18th century or their direct descendants. they epitomize the work of Giambattista Bodoni. 

when first released, the Bodoni was called “classical.” yet, printers soon realized these were actually (not updated versions of classic type styles), but altogether new designs! as a result, their classification name was changed to “modern.” since the mid-20th century, they have also been classified as neoclassical or didone. 

1. the contrast between thick and thin strokes is abrupt and dramatic. 

2. the axis of curved strokes is vertical, with little or no bracketing. 

3. in many cases, stroke terminals are “ball” shapes rather than an evocation of a broad pen effect. These tend to be highly mannered designs with clearly constructed letters.

the so-called slab serif typeface became popular in the 19th century for advertising displays. they have very heavy serifs with minimal or no bracketing. generally, changes in stroke weight are imperceptible. to many readers, slab serif-type styles look like sans serif designs with the simple addition of heavy (stroke weight) serifs.

the Clarendon family belongs in the mid-19th century. they are designed as bold faces to accompany text composition. 

1. the stroke contrast is slight, and serifs tend to be short to medium length. 

2. the character stroke weight is more evident than neoclassical, 

3. serifs tend to be longer (less foily than neoclassical).

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* it refers to the process of smoothing the paper's surface by pressing it between hard pressure cylinders or rollers—the calendars—at the end of the papermaking process. it's is usually the last step of the process before the paper is cut to standard sizes.