Sans Serif Fonts

Sans serif fonts are fonts that don’t have serifs (small lines or flourishes) on the legs of the letters of the typeface. Public opinion holds that the modern, minimalistic style of sans serif typefaces makes text easier to read than serif fonts in designs. This legibility makes sans serif typeface fonts a common choice of typeface for headlines, body text, and, by association, text designed to be read on a device. In the past, especially in the 19th century, history shows that sans serif fonts were common in books and art designs. Today, designers generally choose a sans serif typeface to improve legibility on screens, for example, to give websites or online advertisements the right feel. A small change to the regular brush style of sans serifs, e.g. from small to larger, can allow a designer to make text much easier to read on small screens. Generally, designers around the world choose the features of sans serif styles where the characters and letterforms don’t overshadow the text itself - encouraging viewers to read the copy, not admiring the design. Subgenres of the classification of sans serif type typography include neo-grotesque sans serifs and what are called handwriting sans serifs. The art of designing with the genre of sans serif fonts is to make reading copy easier.

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