THE TYPE CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM

T H E V O X- AT Y P I C L A S S I F I C AT I O N S Y S T E M

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CLASSICAL CLASSICAL CLASSICAL

H U M A N I ST GA R A L D E TRANSITIONAL
Also known as: Humanistic, Humanes, or Also known as: Aldine Also known as: Realist, Réales, or Baroque
Venetian
The garaldes are named after typeface In the mid 18th century, the printer and type
Humanist typefaces represent the designer Claude Garamond and printer and designer John Baskerville established
handwriting within renaissance publisher Aldus Manutius. In the mid 16th transitional typefaces. These typefaces take
manuscripts. Humanes include the first century, under the rein of King Francis I, inspiration from both old style and
Roman typefaces created by Venetian garaldes were used to support the official neoclassical type designs, and use
printers (such as Nicolas Jenson) during grammar and orthography used across characteristics from both of these styles.
the 15th century. France. Baskerville’s developments with calendered
paper and printing methods, opened up
Characteristics: Characteristics: opportunities to create typefaces that
• Low contrast between strokes • Stronger contrast between strokes maintained finer strokes and shapes.

hge
• Heavy and short bracketed serifs • Slanted axis

hge
• Slanted serifs on ascenders • Finer proportions than those of the Characteristics:

hge
• The lowercase ‘e’ features a diagonal Humanist category • Contrast is more distinctive
cross stroke • Vertical axis on the strokes and inclined
Examples include: axis for curved strokes
Examples include: Bembo, Garamond, Sabon • Bracketed serifs and slanted serifs on
Centaur, Cloister, Jenson ascenders

Examples include:
Baskerville, Perpetua, Times New Roman

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MODERN MODERN MODERN: LINEAR

DIDONE M E C H A N I ST I C G R OT E S Q U E
Also known as: Modern Also known as: Mechanical, Slab Serif, or Originating in the 19th century, this category
Mécanes contains early sans serifs, many of which
First created in the late 18th century, become commercially popular. The grotesques
didones are named after type-founders The design of mechanistic typefaces feature many awkward characteristics and
Didot and Bodoni, masters of this style. coincides with the Industrial Revolution at quirks, including an odd distribution of line
These typefaces provided the First French the start of the 19th century. This thicknesses on curved letterforms. A double
Empire with a new letterforms. The mechanical style, with thick and rectangular story lowercase g, a spur on the uppercase G
contrast between the thick and thin serifs became very popular at the time for and a curled leg on the uppercase R are also
strokes are dramatic and the designs look display advertising. In the Thibaudeau common characteristics.
completely different to any other typeface classification system these Mechanicals are
that had come before. named Egyptiennes. Characteristics:
• Noticeable contrast between thick an thin
Characteristics:

h ge
Characteristics: strokes

h ge hge
• Very strong contrast between thick and • Low contrast between thick and thin • Vertical axis
thin strokes strokes • The lowercase ‘g’ often is double story or
• Vertical axis for curved strokes • Heavy strokes with rectangular thick serifs ‘bowl and loop’
• Very little to no bracketing on serifs • Very little or no bracketing on serifs • ‘R’ commonly has a curled leg and the ‘G’
• Terminals often have “ball” shapes usually has a spur
Examples include:

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Examples include: Clarendon, Egyptienne, Ionic No. 5, Rockwell Examples include:
Bodoni, Didot, Walbaum Headline, Monotype 215, Monotype
Grotesque, Grot no. 6

MODERN: LINEAR MODERN: LINEAR MODERN: LINEAR

N E O - G R OT E S Q U E GEOMETRIC H U M A N I ST
Also known as: Transitionals Geometric typefaces are created with an Humanist typefaces are not inspired by the
equal or almost equal stroke width and are Grotesque faces of the 19th Century but
Based on the earlier grotesque designed using simple geometric forms, by earlier classical letterforms. The
typefaces, the neo-grotesques which are repeated and used throughout uppercase of humanist typefaces relate to
category contains some of the most the design. As a result, geometric Roman inscriptional letters and the
famous sans serif designs. Developing typefaces are less readable and letters are characteristics of the lowercase are similar
on the grotesque designs, the harder to differentiate from one another. to those of Carolingian script. Because of
letterforms are much more refined and this, humanist typefaces are said to be the
simplified. There is less variation in Characteristics: most legible and readable of all the sans
stroke weight and the lowercase g is • Little to no contrast between the serif classifications.
now a single story. vertical and horizontal strokes
Characteristics:

h ge
• Character shapes are influenced by
Characteristics:

hg e
geometric forms • Noticeable contrast between strokes

hge
• Less variation between thick and thin • Proportions and characteristics match
strokes than in Grotesques Examples include: serif typefaces and are influenced by
• Single story lowercase g Avenir, ITC Bauhaus, Eurostile, Futura, calligraphic forms
• No spur on the uppercase G Harmonia Sans
Examples include:
Examples include: Gill Sans, Optima, Tahoma
Bell Gothic, DIN 1451, Helvetica,
Univers

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CALLIGRAPHIC CALLIGRAPHIC CALLIGRAPHIC

G LY P H I C SCRIPT GRAPHIC
Also known as: Incised, or Incise Also known as: Scriptes Also known as: Manual, or Manuaires

Glyphic typefaces are based on Scripts represent the formal By far the broadest type category, these
engravings or chiselings of letterforms penmanship and cursive writing, as a typefaces are not intended to be used for
within materials such as stone or metal. result they have strong sloping forms body copy but for display purposes. They
Because of this, they have small and letterforms can often be connected often reflect a particular time, period or
triangular shaped serifs or flared together. Included in this category are theme but can also be based on hand-
terminals. These typefaces particularly typefaces that imitate copperplate drawn designs written with a wide range of
focus on the uppercase characters, and scripts. writing instruments.
many of which don’t contain any
lowercase letters altogether. Characteristics: Examples include:

hge
• Appear to be written with a quill Banco, Klang
Characteristics: • Strong slope

hg e hge
• Minimal contrast between thick and • Letters can often be connected
thin strokes together
• Vertical axis for curved strokes
• A tapering effect at the terminals or Examples include:
triangular shaped serifs Francesca, Mistral, Shelley

Examples include:
Albertus, Copperplate Gothic, Trajan

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CALLIGRAPHIC CALLIGRAPHIC OTHER

B L AC K L E TT E R GA E L I C N O N L AT I N
Also known as: Gothic script, Gothic Also known as: Irish character, Irish type, This category includes all non-latin
minuscule, or Textura or Gaelic script typefaces (regardless of style) for
example; Greek, Cyrillic, Hebrew,
Based on the medieval scribe hands Used as early as the 16th Century, these Arabic, Chinese, etc. As the Vox type
written with broad-nibbed pens, typefaces originated from Irish insular classification system is very Latin
blackletter types were first used by scripts found on medieval manuscripts. based, non-latin types are very
Gutenberg. They were used to print Gaelic type was used for mainly setting underrepresented. As a result, it is
body text until eventually Humanist body text and was used throughout worth taking some time to discover the
typefaces took over with the invention Ireland before falling out of favour in the other writing systems and their
of movable type in the early 20th mid 20th Century. In modern times, typographic designs and
Century. Gaelic type is used for decorative considerations.
purposes, commonly found on pub
Examples include:

hge
signs, greeting cards and display

hge
Fracktur, Schwabacher, Textur advertising.

Examples include:
Ceanannas, Corcaigh, Doire, Duibhlinn

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