What is the difference between serif and sans serif typefaces




















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Serif is the little decorative stroke that comes out from letters. The tailor stroke can be blunt, sharp, decorative or plain. The Serif typeface has a distinctive style for this tail that makes it identifiable as part of the family. The Serif stroke or tail will appear on both upper and lower case letters, as well as on numerals, glyphs and other characters within this font family. The moods most associated with the serif typefaces range from classic to elegant, confident, established and formal.

Image source: Emtype Foundry. Sans Serif fonts are more modern and include various widths and shapes. This typeface does not have strokes at the ends of the letters. The category is thought to be simpler because it lacks the stroke or tail. It is a more direct and precise look even though character edges may be either rounded or sharp.

Feelings and moods associated with the sans serif typefaces range from; direct, clean, friendly, modern and minimal. There is a myth that says you should only use serifs in print.

There is a claim that screen quality is not as good as the printed material quality and that this makes it hard to read serifs on a screen. Even though some printed materials do have a higher publication resolution this argument is still flawed. Most people learn how to type using the Times New Roman which is a serif. Screens have also changed in the past few years and now have high definition and retina-display.

Higher quality screens also puncture the argument of saying you can only read serifs in print. With poor quality screen resolution being a thing of the past, readability issues are coming to an end. An old-fashioned idea for Serifs based on the idea the eye follows a line of text and the serifs help the eye along its way is simply not true. The eye moves in numerous fast jumps that one is not even aware of. The motion between these jumps is too fast for information to be taken in. We have all been conditioned to the myth or bad data for years telling us serifs are easier to read.

Some beliefs die hard, but that is what it is- a myth. Just by using a sans serifs typeface does not convey a message of being less formal. HubSpot is another example of a company that uses a sans serif font in their branding. The rounded and clean appearance of their logo and website fonts give people similar feelings of friendliness and approachability.

For example, a trendy tech company, such as Uber wants their brand to convey a much different message than a more buttoned-up company like The New York Times.

Before starting your search for a font, brainstorm some of the qualities and characteristics of your brand. Also, think about the medium in which people are going to be interacting with your company. This will give you a roadmap to follow when researching fonts. You can then check any possible fonts against your brainstorm list to make sure it fits those qualities and use cases. In the early days of Apple, the tech giant primarily used a serif font in its branding before eventually switching to a more modern looking sans serif font.

Look at the two examples below. Which one looks more like the cutting edge industry leader we all know today? Overall, you want to ensure that your font and all of your design choices for that matter reflect your brand. When used properly and chosen for the right reasons both serif and san serif fonts can be effective. It can be easy to want to choose a ton of fonts to use in your designs, but doing so can actually hurt your brand.

Choosing multiple fonts for your brand can be an effective way to create hierarchy in your designs. However, choosing two fonts that have the right amount of contrast while still working together can be tricky. Online design tool Canva suggests finding fonts that have a shared quality. For example, maybe two fonts that have a similar letter height or width or fonts that are created by the same designer.

Merriweather and Merriweather Sans are a good example of two fonts that contrast each other nicely, but still feel cohesive. These fonts were both created by the same designer so they share a lot of similar qualities in the spacing and shapes of the letters that help the fonts feel more related. A font that has multiple weights and styles such as light, semibold, bold, etc makes the font more versatile and allows you to communicate different messages throughout your designs with a single font.

While serif fonts are associated with being more traditional and sans serif fonts are typically more modern, there are always exceptions to the rule. Free Website Course. Free Course: Transform your website into your best salesperson and set up for inbound marketing success! Start Course. Website Design. What are you wearing right now? Wait, that was a little creepy. Let me reword that. What does your outfit say about you? There are also different outfits for different occasions.

Some fonts are more casual and expressive, while others are more buttoned up and reserved. So where should you start with choosing a font?

The answer is simply in the name. Notice the difference in the example below. Both of these styles have their own unique personality and communicate very different messages. Serif Fonts Say Traditional, Established, and Trustworthy Serif fonts have a history that dates all the way back to the 18th century when stonemasons would carve letters into rock.

Photo Credit: Different Perspective These traits make sans serif fonts are a popular choice among many start-up and tech companies who want to give people a sense of being cutting edge and more humanistic.

Creating a website is no longer intimidating. HubSpot HubSpot is another example of a company that uses a sans serif font in their branding. This youthful font helps humanize their brand and makes their company more relatable.



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