Have you ever heard of Roman typography? Do you know what their characteristics are or the different types or families there are? As a creative, you must know in depth the types of letters you can use for your designs.
Therefore, on this occasion, we are going to focus on this font so that you know it in depth and know when it is best to use it and why. Shall we start?
What is Roman typography
The first thing you should know is that Roman typeface is the largest of all typeface families. In addition, you may know it quite well because another of the names it is called by is "serifs." It is a letter traditional and used because it offers an appropriate proportion to each of the elements, which allows it to be read quite well and whose finishes or ornaments make it more elegant.
Details of the product
With all of the above, you will have already realized what the characteristics of Roman typography are. But in case you miss something or don't understand it, we are going to talk to you about it in more depth.
Strokes with finishes
Roman or serif typography It is characterized by having a finish or decoration at the ends of the letters. In this way, it is possible to give it a small detail that makes the letter more elegant. But you should know that, depending on which "Roman" family the letter belongs to, this ornament will be more or less. For example, in ancient Roman typography, the serifs are disproportionate and also slope slightly. On the other hand, in the transitional style these finishes are proportionate and the inclination also tends to be rounded.
Does this mean that there are different types within Roman typography? Yes, the truth is that it is and it is something that we will talk to you about a little later.
Strokes with modulation
Related to the above, each family of this typeface It has a different type of modulation that makes them unique and that can be seen with the naked eye.
Types or families of Roman typography
Going a little deeper into Roman typography, you should know that it has six different families, each with its own characteristics and letter shape. These are:
ancient roman typography
You can also find it as a Venetian or humanist typeface.
It is characterized because has sharp endings (that is, almost on end) and a wide base. The strokes are made up of thin ones on the ascending part, and thick ones on the descending one. That makes each letter perceived as quite intense, heavy and thick. In addition, they have a wide spacing between letters which makes each letter seem like a set in itself.
Visually you will seem to be seeing writing consistent with that of Ancient Rome, when they wrote with a pen. And the strokes that these letters have try to capture the essence of that manual calligraphy.
To give you an idea of what fonts would fall within this family, they are: Minion, Sabon, or Centaur.
Garaldas
Garaldas is another of the families of Roman typography and many place it within either ancient Roman or transitional typography. However, we wanted to bring it out so that you can get to know it better.
It is a evolution of ancient Roman typography by softening the features a little. Its strange name is due to two typographers: on the one hand, Claude Garamond. On the other, Aldo Manuzio.
As we have investigated, they are characterized by simulating the way in which the letters and numbers of Ancient Rome were engraved in stone with a chisel.
This makes the strokes more rounded, with better control of the letter and a less crazy proportion as in the previous ones.
In this case, sources such as Garamond or Palatino would fall within this family.
Transitional Roman
This font is also known as rationalist or neoclassical and represents a new evolution in Roman typography. To begin with, it loses that marked contrast that it usually has and the diagonals become flatter or more triangular.
Unlike the others, the strokes are characterized by being thinner than thick with greater roundness, especially in the lowercase letters.
Baskerville, Century Old Style or Times New Roman belong to this family of Roman typography.
Modern Roman Typography
You can call it that either didona, classicist or empire. Specifically, and as with the Garalda, the term Didona comes from two families of letters (or typographers): Fermín Didot and Giambattista Bodoni.
This type of font is characterized by a linear finish, at an angle to the batons of the letters. Furthermore, in the cursive version, the inclination is quite sharp and resembles calligraphic writing.
As for the strokes, they are more variable, allowing thin and thick to be combined without there being a proportion of each of them.
Some examples are: Bodoni, Mona Lisa, Bauer or Didi.
Egyptian typography
Finally, the sixth family within Roman typography is Egyptian. It is characterized because all The "sticks" of the letter will have the same thickness and can be square or round, but quite large.
Despite that, it is one of the most used sources for editing books and texts due to its easy reading. And it is no wonder, if we take into account that it arose from the demand of commerce for a font that was large, attractive and thick so that the headlines would stand out.
Do you also know what it's called? Slab serif, quadrangular or mechanical. Examples of this family are: Playbill, Robotik, Memphis or Clarendon.
En general, All typefaces of the Roman family are used above all for long texts or headlines, since the way they are designed (provided or not) offers a view that is very easy to read and without causing problems when it comes to distinguishing the letters.
As you can see, Roman typography, despite being ancient and offering a variety in its strokes, is still highly appreciated due to the reading (and visual) family it offers. Did you know her? Did you know about the typography family? We read you in comments.