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“There are now about as many different varieties of letters as there are different kinds of fools.” Eric Gill
Choosing a font for a project isn’t always an easy task but hopefully this list of professional classic and elegant serif fonts will make the task a little easier… or maybe not.
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Berthold Baskerville Book Regular
More Typography & Font Resources:
- 30 Fonts You Must Know & Should Own
- The Top 100 Best Fonts Of All Time
- 20 Beautiful Free Serif Fonts
- Top 7 Fonts Used By Professionals In Design
- 20 Typefaces To Start A Designer’s Career
- FREE 27 Page Type Classification eBook
- Designer’s Favourite Fonts & Why
Have you got a favourite classic serif typeface that was missed in this list? Let us know in the comments below.
I consider TRAJAN PRO as the best & the most classical of them all and it should have been in the list.
I usually never use serif fonts, I’m not used to them because I don’t like serif. But when choosing a type of font, i include them and then discard them lol.
I like to add ‘Rotis Serif’ to the above list.
I particularly love Minion and I fell in love with Sabon having worked on some print from Booz&co. I don’t know about ITC Garamond…my all time favourite in the list will be Baskerville. It’s great for large type!
Oh! What a nice list. Also another good one that I refer to often if Plantagenet (referred to on my local machine as Plantagenet Cherokee)
Here’s more info on that one:
http://www.tiro.com/Plantagenet/plantagenet_index3.html
I think my favorite “rediscovered” classic font is New Century Schoolbook. I used it on a printable PDF of top fonts recently. Seeing it in a “teacherly” context, there was no question why it’s called “Schoolbook”. For some reason, it has the patience and upbeat temperament of a saintly 7th grade teacher, but does double-duty as a college prof…
It didn’t make my “Top 19 Fonts” post, but it was in the top 40, and my fondness for it has only grown. I love when something old becomes unexpectedly new again.
And you know, I never, ever, ever get sick of the lower-case “a” in Garamond. I think that has to be my favorite letter in any typeface. It’s a work of art 🙂
This is great list Jacob.
Arnhem, esp for body copy when well typeset. The primary typeface used in the book Modern Typography by Robin Kinross. Read about it here;
http://www.davidtorno.com/MacTex_Uploads/Button001.jpg
preview it here:
http://www.fontshop.com/search/?q=arnhem+normal
I’d add Hoefler Text to the list.
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[…] 27 Classic & Elegant Serif Fonts “There are now about as many different varieties of letters as there are different kinds of fools.†Eric Gill Choosing a font for a project isn’t always an easy task but hopefully this list of professional classic and elegant serif fonts will make the task a little easier: or maybe” […]
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Very resourceful. Especially nice that you laid out examples and links. I find that using serif fonts in formal designs is very effective. When I say formal I mean things like press releases and websites or print marketing for formal businesses like accounting firms, law offices, and high profile businesses.
Jacob: thanks for the tweet and link! You are the Oprah Winfrey of Graphic Design. 🙂 Now I just need to complete my semi-biographical auto-biography.
Funny about the MEGs logo and it’s application in a University setting, with my comment about the college prof! How funny. I have another post in the works about “font personalities”, which might be like a Rorschach test for type-lovers :). It’s fascinating how fonts are chosen for their perceived persona, even to the average office worker setting a memo to print:
“I want this to be funny and light hearted” = Comic Sans
“I really need to grab their attention” = Impact
“We’re having a picnic!” = Brush Script
“I’m *very* professional” = Copperplate
Or how ’bout…
“I’m sophisticated” = any typeface, but all lower case
🙂
It might be because I’m easily influence by big ads and things like Macs, but I just have a really hard time getting into Serif fonts. I know this is something that I need to fix, but I just don’t like the way they look for most projects. Guess I just haven’t found the right client to fit them to.
I completely agree. I am always swayed by how clean sans serif fonts look on the web. However, the next time I need to get over myself and go with a serif font, this will be my resource! Thank you!
Thank you for your patience in waiting for my response, it’s been a busy week. Thank you to all those that have suggested more great serif fonts!
Saravana,
Thank you, Trajan is certainly a lovely typeface even if it is overused.
Ebi,
ITC Garamond is one of those ones that you either love or hate. In fact there was an essay on this topic that is worth reading. I hate ITC Garmond.
Douglas,
I recently used New Century Schoolbook in a logo of mine (MEGS) which is actually for a University program. Seemed like the perfect fit.
I forgot about your top 19 fonts list, I have added the link to your comment now.
Nice selection Jacob, I love a serif very tasty. Shame in this day and age we can’t use more fonts in our web design…DAMN THOSE LIMITED WEB FRIENDLY FONTS!! Baskerville, kerned, oh so good! Just read your ‘How To Choose A Font’ blog to nicely written bro….take it easy.
Great list and you’ve got my favorite in it, Caslon, it such a great font, old but wise as I always say.
I’ve reviewed all the fonts that you have mentioned but I personally love Helvetica. Is there anyone who is passionate of using “Helvetica”?
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Looks like Brian Hoff got the jump on the “single letter” post idea – he focused on “g” in bunch. Great looking, interesting post:
http://www.thedesigncubicle.com/2009/10/same-ol-g-think-again-a-visual-study-of-the-lowercase-g/
Now I have to finish up my “a” post…
Graphics are a big deal on posts like these. I’m going back and revamping a few font posts with enhanced graphics like PDFs.
For instance, here is a link to my personal top 10 fonts list, but updated with a nicely laid out PDF to go with, and HUGE preview graphics. Now you can zoom in, etc…
http://bonfx.com/top-10-fonts-for-graphic-designers-with-pdf-chart/
I’ll get around to revamping my other font-related posts like this…much more fun…
Where is Trajan Pro, its web-safe and renders on most OS’s – unlike many of the fonts you have listed, However thats no longer a problem with the likes of Cufon and Sifr etc.
nice list though! thanks
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[…] 27 Classic & Elegant Serif Fonts “There are now about as many different varieties of letters as there are different kinds of fools.” Eric Gill Choosing a font for a project isn’t always an easy task but hopefully this list of professional classic and elegant serif fonts will make the task a little easier… or maybe” […]
First use of Palatino – added on my fave fonts!
Where is Trajan Pro, its web-safe and renders on most OS’s – unlike many of the fonts you have listed, However thats no longer a problem with the likes of Cufon and Sifr etc.
Where is Trajan Pro, its web-safe and renders on most OS’s – unlike many of the fonts you have listed, However thats no longer a problem with the likes of Cufon and Sifr etc.
I consider TRAJAN PRO as the best & the most classical of them all and it should have been in the list.
I particularly love Minion and I fell in love with Sabon having worked on some print from Booz&co. I don’t know about ITC Garamond…my all time favourite in the list will be Baskerville. It’s great for large type!