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Sans-serif




In Typography , a sans-serif or '''sans serif''' Typeface is one that does not have the small features called " Serif s" at the end of strokes. The term comes from the French word ''sans'' (meaning "without"), so the term literally means "without serifs."

Sans-serif fonts are typically suited for headlines but not for body text. Serifs help guide the eye along the line; the lack of serifs makes sans-serif fonts harder to read in large blocks of text. When read on a computer monitor, however, pixelation makes sans-serif fonts look cleaner than serif fonts, leading to their widespread use for body text on-screen.

Before the term “sans-serif” became standard in English typography, a number of other terms had been used. One of these outmoded terms for sans serif is Gothic , which is still used in Japanese typography and sometimes seen in font names like “New Century Gothic”.

Sans-serif fonts are sometimes, especially in older books, used as a device for Emphasis , due to their typically blacker Type Color .


CLASSIFICATION


For the purposes of type classification sans-serif designs broadly divide into four major groups:



  • Neo-grotesque or '''Transitional''', modern designs such as Standard, Helvetica , Arial , and Univers . These are the most common sans-serif fonts. They are relatively straight in appearance and have less line width variation than Humanist sans-serif typefaces. Transitional sans-serif is sometimes called "anonymous sans-serif" due to its relatively plain appearance.




  • Humanist ( Edward Johnston 's Railway type, Gill Sans or Frutiger ). These are the most calligraphic of the sans-serif typefaces, with some variation in line width and more readability than other sans-serif fonts.




  • Geometric ( Futura , Century Gothic , or Spartan). As their name suggests, Geometric sans-serif typefaces are based on geometric shapes. Note the perfectly circular letter "O" and the simple construction of the lowercase letter "a". Geometric sans-serif fonts have a very modern look and feel.




Other commonly-used sans-serif fonts include Optima , Tahoma and Verdana .

Note that in some sans-serif fonts I (capital-i) and l (lowercase-L) appear exactly identical. (Arial: Il) Verdana, however, keeps them distinct: Il due to the fact that Verdana's capital-i, as an exception, ''has'' serifs.


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