Type Anatomy & Classification · Page 6 of 8

How do you tell them apart?

Read a typeface like a detective: check the serifs, then the contrast, then the stress.

You don’t need to memorize hundreds of fonts. Set a few letters large, especially n, o, a and e, and ask three questions in order.

Step 1: Does it have serifs?

Look at the feet of the n. If there are serifs, look at how heavy they are and how they join the stem.

Old Style
Bracketed, curved

Transitional
Sharper, smaller bracket

Modern
Hairline, no bracket

Slab
Thick block, no bracket

Sans Serif
No serif (humanist)

Sans Serif
No serif (geometric)

The foot of the lowercase n in EB Garamond, Libre Baskerville, Bodoni Moda, Roboto Slab, Source Sans 3 and Jost, drawn from each font’s outlines. The dashed line is the baseline.

Serifs as thick as the strokes? It’s a Slab Serif.
Thinner serifs? It’s Old Style, Transitional or Modern. Go to step 2.
No serifs? Skip to step 3.

Step 2: Check the contrast and stress

Look at the o. How different are its thick and thin strokes, and which way does the stress lean?

Stress measured from the real outlines of each o. Transitional and Modern both stand nearly upright, so compare their contrast: Modern’s thin strokes are hairlines.

Low contrast, stress tilted to the left: Old Style.
Medium contrast, nearly upright stress: Transitional.
Extreme contrast, hairline serifs, upright stress: Modern.

Step 3: No serifs? Look at the shapes

Without serifs, ask whether the letters look written, decorative or plain.

Sans SerifRaceboatPlain, even strokes and clean shapes made for reading. Look for geometric, humanist or grotesque flavors.

ScriptRaceboatBased on penmanship: slanted, and the letters connect.

DisplayRaceboatBuilt for headlines: unusual, decorative or exaggerated.

Clues at a glance

Category	Serifs	Contrast	Stress
Old Style	Bracketed, curved; slanted head serifs	Low	Diagonal (bias)
Transitional	Sharper, smaller brackets	Medium	Nearly vertical
Modern	Hairline, little or no bracket	High	Vertical
Slab Serif	Thick blocks, usually no bracket	Little or none	Vertical or none
Sans Serif	None	Low or none	Vertical or none
Script	None; strokes connect	Varies with the pen	Slanted
Display	Anything goes	Anything goes	Anything goes

Some typefaces sit on the border

Categories are tools, not laws. Plenty of typefaces mix traits from two categories. Name the category it fits best, then point to the clues that make you think so.