Popular families

It’s important to give some information about popular typefaces. Avant Garde is a sans serif typeface that has a smooth look. The vertical and diagonal lines of letters are not the same weight and the circular lines have variations too. “Avant Garde is a trendy typeface that will produce a contemporary look in product logos, trade show displays and advertising graphics” (Wolfe 4).

Bodoni type is a serif style that reflects eighteenth century art engraving during the Industrial Revolution. The italic styles are reminiscent of pen and ink letters with thin strokes and hairline serifs. The most obvious design characteristics are the fine hairlines, thick stems, and vertical weight stress ("ABC's" 33). Bodoni has a small x-height and must be set large enough to read. The bold and black styles are larger and must be used with more leading. Bodoni is a romantic typeface and shouldn’t be used with a great amount of text. “This is definitely a specialized typeface for nostalgic advertising, fashion and brochures and posters” (Wolfe 7).

Bookman is a serif type designed after old style roman type. The light type style works well for body text and the medium style is good for headlines and subheads. The serifs sometimes overlap one another and that makes for comfortable horizontal reading. The x-height is very large and the descenders and ascenders are very short, making it necessary to give large leading. Bookman is good for the text of periodicals and booklets. To contrast Bookman, mix it with a nongeometric sans serif face such as Helvetica. Use this typeface “where the idea is contemporary and the mood is traditional” (Wolfe 8). This typeface gives a traditional look to brochures, advertising, and in-house reports.