To Serif or Not to Serif?

I told you I’d be writing more frequently! I even intend to get back to work on my digital photography series soon. Today we’re going to look at the differences between serif and sans-serif fonts. We’ve got a lot of work to do, so let’s get started.

What the heck does serif mean?

I dislike French as much as the next guy, but we’ll get into it real quick here. The actual meaning of the word ’serif’ is uncertain. Some people think it means ‘line’ or ’stroke’ since that’s what it basically is. ‘Sans’ comes from the French and means ‘without’. Basically, serifs are little lines or strokes in the letter-form that really don’t need to be there. Serifs are added to letter-forms for decoration or to increase readability. That means a sans-serif font is a font without those things.

Some common examples of serif fonts include Times New Roman, Georgia, and Garamond. Examples of sans-serif fonts include Arial, Tahoma, and Calibri. Usually the differences are obvious, but in the example at the top of this page, it’s not so obvious. That’s because I used a (free) font called Fontin and a font called Fontin Sans. They’re very similar. If you look closely, though, especially at the letter ‘n’, there’s a difference. The serif font is more… frilly.

Why should I care?

Serif vs. Sans-Serif is one of the largest and most common differences between fonts. When you are picking a font to convey a certain style or emotion, serif vs. sans-serif can be an extremely important decision. It’s kind of like clothing. You wouldn’t wear a bow tie while skate-boarding, and you wouldn’t wear a bandanna to a fancy ball. Sans-serif fonts are appropriate in some places, and serif fonts are appropriate in others. The key is learning to use them properly.

Okay, how do I use them properly?

I’m glad you asked. I’m going to oversimplify here a bit, because I don’t want to overwhelm you with information. There’s a lot that goes into picking a font. All of the tips I’m about to give you can be ignored if you know what you’re doing. Since you’re reading this, though, I’m guessing you don’t know a lot about picking fonts.

Sans-Serif Fonts

Sans-serif fonts tend to look a bit more modern. This impression, though, is not accurate. Examples of sans-serif fonts date back to as early as 500BC. It was not until recently, however, that they were used extensively in digital media. It was not uncommon to view webpages made entirely with serif fonts 15 years ago. Thus, when you are trying to make something look more modern, it may be wise to use a sans-serif font.

Sans-serif fonts are also easier to work with, in general, because they are less complicated. You don’t have to worry about all the little frilly things getting tangled up in each other. For someone looking to put together a short document or composition, I would tend to recommend using a sans-serif font. It can save time and effort.

Serif fonts

Serif fonts generally look more elegant, at least when used properly. While many sans-serif fonts are simply utilitarian, serif fonts tend to look more designed. While this is not universally true of all fonts, it is often the case. Most people would say that Times New Roman is prettier than Arial. The added complexity adds a level of beauty and complication.

You’re going to have to weigh the cost of the time it takes to properly use a serif font (picking good and appropriate one, and adjusting it as needed… which we’ll cover in future posts) against the added beauty and intricacy gained of using said serif font. This is actually also true of sans-serif fonts as well, but I know I tend to notice it far more often when using serif fonts.

One other important difference between serif and sans serif fonts is one that may or may not exist. It is believed by many people that serif fonts assist the reader in his reading by guiding the eye from letter to letter. There are also those who disagree, saying that increased readability of serif fonts in large bodies of text is a myth. Personally, I don’t know. I tend to use serif fonts if I’m writing a large amount of text. I don’t know if it helps readability, but I think it does look better. It also keeps me from getting complaints.

Your medium

I almost forgot to mention this. Your medium is extremely important when choosing your font. Digital displays tend to be much lower quality than paper. That means that the subtle details in serif fonts tend to get lost. They can even cause confusion and eye strain. Serif fonts are fine on digital displays in larger sizes, and can be okay in smaller(ish) sizes on digital displays when properly antialased (which we’ll also cover in a future post). In general, serif fonts will look much better on paper.

So which one should I use?

I’m not actually going to answer that. [cue evil laugh]. Choosing a font is a matter of taste, and requires great care. There is no one solution. Your project will require different things based on what you’re trying to do. I hope that the information I’ve presented in this post will assist you in making the proper choice.

Just give me some general guidelines, you ramble too much.

Okay, it’s impossible to ramble in a list, right? Here are some tips.

• Don’t use small serif fonts if your text is only going to be displayed on monitors.
• Don’t use sans-serif fonts for large amounts of text without using headings.
• Try using a serif font for headings and a sans-serif font for body text… or vice versa.
• Use serif fonts to produce a more modern look.
• Use sans serif fonts to produce a more classical look.

I really didn’t want to do that, because some of the tips should often be ignored. They are general guidelines, and oversimplified to say the least. They may, however, make a decent starting point. The best way to learn is to study good typography, and practice creating your own… a lot.

Go forth and practice!