The different types of fonts. Serif, Sans-Serif and the others

Discover the different families of fonts.

Author

Jérôme Bestel

Updated on

March 18, 2025

Created on

January 28, 2025

Font: definition

We talk about a font or font family to define a collection of characters. A font or typeface can combine different fonts, which define the particularity of style, body, and weight.

Segoe UI is a font, and Segoe UI Light is a font.

The different types of fonts

Sites or typographers classify fonts into numerous classifications, but current uses allow us to narrow them down to five main categories:

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Serif (with wheelbase)

We mainly find them in publishing and printing: magazines, printed newspapers or even books use Serif. Called serifs in French, these are the small horizontal lines or triangular thickenings present on the edges of letters (Terminals).

Serif fonts are often associated with serious, rigorous, or even high-end positioning and are not limited to printing only. Many renowned luxury brands choose them for their logotypes, advertising campaigns and websites because of their classic and sophisticated appearance (Dior, Vogue, Gucci, Prada, Tiffany & Co, Tiffany & Co, Rolex, Mercedes-Benz). Serif policies create a sense of authority and reliability, they're also a great option for legal, insurance, and publishing companies (McKinsey, BCG, The New York Times, Forbes, or Washington Post).

Sans-Serif (sans serif)

These are more modern and more widespread variants that, as the name suggests, got rid of traditional wheelbases. They appeared in the middle of the 19th century and became particularly popular at the beginning of the last century for their novelty and dynamism. A little later, Futura and Helvetica were created, belonging to the subcategory of the most used Grotesques.

Because of their ability to get noticed and draw attention, these fonts were initially used primarily in advertisements and headlines. It turned out that after the advent of the computer age, grotesque characters were easier to read on the screen. Today, we see them absolutely everywhere, from websites and applications to banners and logos. Unlike Serif, Sans-Serif create a more informal and affordable image.

Widely used by major tech companies (Facebook, Google, Netflix, Netflix, Airbnb, Google, Netflix, Netflix, Airbnb, Spotify, Uber), these are solid choices and many visual identities adopt these font families, which have the advantage of being legible, adapted to the user interface and offering a very good level of accessibility.

Monospaced

Traditional fonts use a different space for each character to interlock them and create harmony when read, which is called Kerning. Monospaced fonts have the particularity of using a regular width for each letter. Widely adopted by developers, text editors, or even present on our passports in order to facilitate their reading by OCRs (optical character recognition).

Cursive/Script

Cursive fonts mimic handwriting, and tend to give legitimacy to a message. More adapted to titles and annotations, they offer little accessibility but give personality to the content.

They are divided into two categories: formal and informal. In the first case, these are elegant monogrammed letters, which resemble the writing style of the 17-18th centuries (they are suitable for designing invitations, albums, book covers, diplomas, menus). In the second case, they are imitations of modern writing of all kinds (those are suitable for websites, social networks, marketing materials, posters). The main thing is to integrate them competently into the context of the concrete activity or message.

Display/Decorative

Display fonts are often thick, striking, and eye-catching. Only reserved for important titles and messages, this category gives rise to numerous creative and differentiating and even complex fonts.

Like fonts, decorative fonts should be used to emphasize a title, an advertisement, a sign, a logo but not for the main text. They can also be used for creative projects.