In our last blog we wrote about our top 10 popular serif fonts. This time around we look at the serif opposite san-serif.
The Cambridge Dictionary definition of sans-serif is:
‘any typeface in which the letters do not have serifs (= small lines) added to them.’
If you didn’t know sans-serif typefaces first originated in the eighteenth century but weren’t seeing widespread use until the nineteenth century. The term originates from the French word sans, meaning “without” and “serif” of uncertain origin, possibly from the Dutch word schreef meaning “line” or pen-stroke.
Before the term “sans-serif” became common in English typography, a number of other terms had been used. One of these outmoded terms for sans serif was gothic, which is still used in East Asian typography and sometimes seen in font names like News Gothic, Highway Gothic, or Trade Gothic.
Sans-serif fonts are sometimes, especially in older documents, used as a device for emphasis, due to their typically blacker type colour. And are considered to be a modern, contemporary and minimalistic style of typeface. And are predominantly used in web design. This is mainly because with lower-resolution digital displays, the details of serif fonts may disappear or appear too large.
Whilst sans-serif fonts do display better on lower-resolution devices. In the years to come with the ever-increasing advancement of high-resolution screens and web development. I would say we can expect to see more serif fonts being used for websites. Which will give any designer a great scope of typefaces to use for web projects.
Below is our top 10 of sans-serif typefaces:
1. Raleway
2. Futura
3. Lato
4. Oswald
5. Avenir
6. Montserrat
7. PT Sans
8. Geneva
9. Muli
10. Brandon Grotesques
