A summary of the English fonts in a very comprehensive way

Editor's note: Fonts are designed to be as temperamental as people. Is good-natured, modest, polite, or lively bold, burning through a piece, are through the structure of the font to shape. Only understand the temperament of each font, you can put it to the right place, today this good article, with the students to popularize a little English font knowledge.

Recently (before the exam) in reading "Font story", by the way the study of English font. I feel this is a fast promotion (beep) lattice of learning, the English class pre and the paper written this, the teacher "admiration." Recently wrote a lot of English papers (mainly cells), I experiment in each paper different fonts, print out the test results. The final review will also pay more attention to what the teacher used the font and the paper is what font. Interesting findings include: The cell is the only use of sans serif font (Helvetica) to do the text, science with the ancient customs of minion, Wei Teacher's ppt unexpectedly with a rustic univers and so on.

So, see so much, forced to upgrade so much, come here to popularize a little practical knowledge ~

Before you go on, take a look at the concept of "liner" and "sans serif".

The alphabet system in Western countries is divided into two categories: Serif and sans Serif.

Serif is a serif font, which means that there are additional decorations at the beginning and end of the stroke, and that the strokes are of a different thickness. Conversely, Sans serif do not have these extra decorations, and the strokes are about the same thickness.

Serif fonts are easy to identify, it emphasizes the beginning and end of each letter strokes, so the readability is relatively high, Sans Serif is more eye-catching. In the case of walking text reading, it is suitable for Serif font to be used for typesetting, it is easy to read the recognition of line, avoid the reading error between the rows.

Sans Serif emphasizes every letter, serif more emphasis on one word.

The song body in Chinese font is one of the most standard serif fonts, and the characteristics of the lining lines are very obvious. The glyph structure is also consistent with the handwritten script. Therefore, XXFarEastFont-Arial has been used as one of the most suitable text fonts. However, due to the emphasis on the contrast of the strokes, the horizontal line is weakened when viewed at a distance, leading to a decline in recognition.

This film only discusses the use of the case in the file, although most of the font will be used in the presentation (PPT), but it must be noted that the letter in small (8-16px) and Large (32px) The focus is completely different, so this is to be noted.

　　The choice of title font:

It is now rare to see a publication that also uses serif fonts for titles (in addition to historical reasons, the New York Times used the curvier), so it is wise to make a title for your article without a serif font. Bold is also a good idea; If you want to appear very technical, then you can go to the other extreme with ultralight (very fine), such as Apple's propaganda will often use ultra-fine Helvetica.

The use of typical Swiss fonts (including but not limited to Helvetica,arial,akzidenz-grotesk,univers,frutiger) is a very safe method, and these fonts differ very little in the eyes of the unprofessional font designer ( So the specific difference is not discussed here, especially in the addition of coarse, will create a rigorous and dignified title, neutral and eye-catching, almost the title design "never Wrong" font.

Of course, if you want more style, you can try to futura this minimalist style of German fonts, there will be a very industrial very avantgarde feeling. Of course you can also use Gill Sans, a typical English font, that reflects a feeling of a half antique, more gentle, and helps to bring you and your readers closer together. Century Gothic and Optima is also a good choice, the former is the minimalist style of art, the latter because of its arched stroke end and variable stroke thickness has a gorgeous feeling. Of course, it can be the font of power and determination that gothem, usually used in slogans.

　　Body Font Selection:

The choice of body font is a very split choice. Serif fonts and Sans serif fonts convey a completely different feeling.

First of all, the traditional serif font: In fact, in the text using a line font is not a very difficult thing to choose, because most of the serif font in the case of small size is similar. I have experimented with changing different parts of an article into different fonts (about 13px) and printing them. Unfortunately, the printed paper has a little yin, the characters of the Strokes have a very obvious irregular change. In this case, even the parts of different fonts on a piece of paper are basically indistinguishable from impressions. From this can be seen, in fact, the line font in the printing quality/small size of the case, in fact, the difference is not big.

Of course, considering the laser printing now, some choices are still necessary, then: Give Up the Times New Roman Bar Juvenile!

The Times is really a well-designed font, but its flow is only so wide because early Windows has this font embedded in it and as the default font. The widespread use of this font already has a sense of official tiredness. Another reason to give up the times is that he is a "newspaper" Font, whose original design was designed to make the British times a font. The biggest feature of newspaper fonts is that the width is narrower, so that more content can be put down in the newspaper. So in the body of the text creates a kind of layout cramped illusion.

Palatino,garamond and Minion: Classic Venetian style fonts, belonging to the oldest Roman font style (previously only gothic). It is characterized by the smaller radian of the tail of J, the higher upper, the smaller the word bosom and the word bowl. Because of that time the printing is really not high, so many designs are for the poor printing quality can be improved readability, such as the stroke thickness change is not large (coarse normal coarse, thin do not dare to do too thin may not be printed on). So if the expected printing quality is poor, you can try these fonts. It conveys a feeling much like a Renaissance book, or the style of a 17-18-century document. Give people a kind of old-fashioned, every word is carved feeling. Old and formal. At present the science text is minion. Another hint is that the declaration of independence is Garamond, imagine the feeling?

Baskerville: One of the most classic fonts. Its characteristics are gorgeous and classical. As a "transitional" font (The Times is also a transitional font) that was born in 17th century, the Basque body has a more pronounced contrast to the classical serif font, and more ornate in detail (such as the tail of G and the tail of Q). Using the Basque body, the text can have a typical romantic style, like a 17-18-century love story.

Didone (Didon) body (note that there is no font called Didone), mainly Bodoni and Didot. Typical French font, modern and sexy. The very strong stroke thickness contrasts with the peaceful fine lining line. Some of the more successful design cases, such as the perfume bottle. Of course this sexy property in the small size of the situation is very not obvious, so don't worry. Using Didon can give readers a sense of modernity. For example, some fashion magazines are better applications. However, it is important to note that if the quality of printing is not flattering, it is best not to use this font, because too strong stroke contrast, thin lines may be more easily printed.

If you really like the times, you might as well try Georgia. Microsoft's modern design times. Added some modern elements (such as a flat liner). But to tell the truth, not very recruit the author likes. Give people a sense of public culture.

As mentioned in the various fonts, although there are a variety of styles, but because of the nature of their serif font, are applicable to formal documents. (Don't be afraid to use Didon because it's sexy, it's just that when he amplifies it)

　　Say no serif fonts:

The most extensive application of sans serif is in the electronic world. Sans serif and serif fonts are like pencil vs pen words. The biggest feature of the pencil character is that it is very characteristic and extremely insipid. This is also a concept of sans serif font design: The concept of transparent containers. It is said that the font itself should not convey any added meaning, but only convey the meaning of the text itself, as if a transparent container would only show the contents of it without displaying the properties of the container.

Calibri,segeo,droid Fonts: This refers to a new generation of system default fonts. The perfect implementation of the transparent container and readability of the concept. Their style is completely without style, there is no formal classic line font, classical feeling, nor the 20th century sans serif font strong sense of the future or design. Yes, they barely communicate anything! The very strong modernized big Enterprise's official document feeling, even cannot use coldly to describe, because he does not convey any feeling at all, can only say is a kind of "indifference" the feeling. Although it may be boring to read, but will never use the wrong!

Gill Sans: Very good people style, very strong word width contrast, more close to handwriting details. There are some people writing the feeling of warm sans-serif. Good to avoid the feeling of indifference without lining. The only thing to be aware of is that there seems to be more coarse than the ordinary line, mixed with the time may have stressed the feeling.

Swiss fonts (including but not limited to Helvetica,arial,akzidenz-grotesk,univers,frutiger): The earliest and most classic sans serif font, a milestone in the history of font design. A good sense of design, although the use of large areas will sometimes have Calibri and so on, but not so strong. It's like the body of a well-designed advertising flyer, exquisite, graceful and rigorous.

Optima: More close to the line font feeling of the sans-serif, the strokes of the thickness of the change is more interesting, is relatively thick between the two sections of relatively thin. When the large font size as the title, the end of its strokes of the arch design is very gorgeous and humane. Used in the small size of the time will give a person a close and gorgeous feeling, readability is also good.

Verdana: Microsoft's another classic font, some reference geometry sans serif, but the readability is very good, but also the first batch of Web-safe fonts, the application is very extensive. The character is very big word bosom and word width, very have the feeling of modern commercial propaganda material. Ikea is used for all labels, think about Ikea's feeling, business-design-civilian feel. It's very kind and friendly. Note that when you use it, turn the font down a little bit.

Geometric sans serif (e.g. Futura and Century Gothic): Do not use in the text! Very good title font, but because the legibility is too bad, does not fit the text of the small font size.

Trebuchet: It's not very recommended either. Microsoft's early design of a very strange font, a bit like the width of the coarse line (slab Serif) font design (although not), may be in order to be in the early multiple low resolution on the normal display, intentionally on the line on the top of a few similar coarse lines of things. Unless you want your files to be like the official reference documentation for the programmer. It's geek to have a little bit of a stay.

Finally said the ancient wisdom (old wisdom), the ancient Wisdom said: "The main body with the line font, the title with no liner, no line drawing." "This is still very common in most official publications and documents, or it has formed a golden rule," he said. For example, I picked up a lehninger (really handy ah, completely did not take the time to carefully identify the font, so the identification of the wrong do not spray ...), where the title is a coarse narrow body sans serif (sorry for the temporary lack of research on the narrow body is not identified), the figure is used to look like the optima of sans-serif, The body is a type of serif font similar to Georgia.

However, this wisdom has an outdated trend, one of the trends is that the cell has been completely helvetica (sans Serif font of the most famous one) of the. There are three main reasons for the development of sans-serif: First, the quality of printed matter is getting better: in the case of perfect printing, sans serif fonts can be used in many ways (such as increasing the X-height) to make up for relative serif font disadvantage of the small print identification; second, in the digital era just beginning, due to screen resolution problem, Serif fonts are likely to look ugly under certain resolution conditions, therefore, no liner in the IT field is very common (open a large web site are no liner); 3rd, it is difficult to say whether the reason or the result of the reason is that after the Second World War "less is more" (the Bauhaus is one) design concept is very popular, Sans serif fonts are just as well adapted to this trend of thought.

Although now in many places (except for the more conservative places, for example, the use of sans serif to do the text is understandable, but because no liner sometimes gives a very boring feeling, although the theoretical line through heightening the "X-High" method, so that the readability of the complete line without the lining, But one feels that a lengthy article with no liner is more likely to be fatigued.

　　Summarize

No liner for small length of publicity materials, drawing notes, abstracts or other places is better, long speech or literary things or use the lining is better. Because the association with the liner is a long story or a novel, the association with the sans-serif is a more graphical association (or no liner better suited to the picture). Therefore, all documents and illustrations should consider the use of some or all of the sans-serif, and plain text to give priority to the lining line. Another reason is that no liner is more easily boring, more pictures can be adjusted.

As for the title, bold to have no liner bar! The height of the sans-serif line is far from being achieved in the sense of visibility and design.

ps

Because many design-strong slogans use ultralight or semilight fonts, here's a question to say. Fine body for the text is really not very good, because the small size of the fine body is too thin, is not conducive to reading, the eyes are very tired. The gist of the text is that everything is readable first, so it is not recommended to use the fine body. The author sometimes uses the fine body in the reference literature, this is because the reference literature is no one will scrutinize (most is copy pastes searches the original text), but the small size's fine experience has a weakening feeling, very conforms to the reference document localization.