Typfaces and Definitions

Old-Style Typfaces:
-were originally developed in the 15th and 16th centuries
-are based off of handwritten letter forms
-are generally characterized by angled serifs and low variance in stroke weight
Example:
Garamond

Transitional Typefaces:

-bridge the gap between Old Style typefaces and Modern typefaces

-are characterized by more vertical axes and sharper serifs

Example:

Baskerville

Modern Typefaces:

-were originally developed in the late 18th and early 19th centuries

-were considered a radical difference from traditional typography

-are characterized by stark contrast in stroke weight, straight serifs, and straight vertical axes

Example:

Bodoni

Definitions:

Stroke Weight: the measurement of a stroke based on how thick or thin it is

Stress or Axis: the diagonal, horizontal, or vertical transition from thick to thin in a stroke

Small Caps: when a typeface uses smaller versions of the capital letters as the lowercase

Lining Figures: numerals that are the same height as the rest of the typeface and rest accordingly on the baseline

Non-Lining Figures: numerals that are not the same height as the rest of typeface and may at times extend below the baseline and vary in height

Ligature: two or more letters combined into one character. Popular examples include fl, ff, and fi

Type Measurement: type size is usually defined by points. Typically, 1 point=.013837 inches and 12 points=1 pica. Hence 72 points=1 inch. While typefaces do not follow this system religiously, in theory, a letter set at 72 points will be approximately 1 inch tall.

Type anatomy: terms include baseline, cap height, x-height, ascender, descender, arm, shoulder, leg, tail, eye, apex, crossbar, counter, bowl, link, ear, loop, aperture, and more... Best described by a picture

Sources:

http://www.designishistory.com/1450/type-classification/

identifont.com

http://tympanus.net/codrops/2012/05/09/understanding-the-lingo-typography-glossary/

http://desktoppub.about.com/od/glossary/g/Lining-Figures.htm

http://desktoppub.about.com/od/glossary/g/Non-Lining-Figures.htm

http://desktoppub.about.com/od/glossary/g/Ligature.htm

http://desktoppub.about.com/cs/intermediate/a/measure_type.htm