Letter Classifications, Continued
Italic letter
Letters in the italic letter group represent letters that incline left or right of
group
center. Letters in this group may come from any family. Use italic letters to
add emphasis to information or the impression of speed.
Italics work well in
any layout.
Contemporary
The contemporary letter group includes hundreds of modern letters. These
letter group
modern faces represent stylish alterations to traditional letters influenced by
fashion and taste. Contemporary letters are used chiefly in display
composition. Two letter styles in the contemporary letter group are the sans
serif letter and the square or slab serif letter.
SAN SERIF: Sans serif letters are similar to the gothic letter style but are
even in weight. Sans serif letters have perfect geometric proportions and
have no flourishes.
Figure 5-26 is example of sans serif letters in the contemporary letter group.
Figure 5-26.—A contemporary san serif letter style.
SQUARE or SLAB SERIFS: Square or slab serif letters may have the same
even strokes as the sans serif letter or have thick and thin main stems with
serifs terminating the letter. The serifs resemble a square or block.
Figure 5-27 is examples of square or slab serif contemporary letters.
Figure 5-27.—A contemporary square- or slab-serif
letter style.
5-26
