The exercise of classifying fonts is not an easy one. New fonts are constantly introduced and there is no standard within the typographic arts.
The classification system described here is based on the book Typographic Design: Form and Communication by Rob Carter, Ben Day, and Philip Meggs. This classic text groups typeface styles into six manageable categories covering their origin and use. I've added a seventh category for decorative fonts. Some systems use as many as 30 different categories.
1) Old Style Fonts
Early font style from the Venetian artisan Aldus Mantius. Characterized by its bracketed serifs and angled weight emphasis on the rounded forms and tops of lowercase ascenders.
Examples: Garamond, Minion, Goudy, Palatino
2) Italic (Script) Fonts
Italic letters slant to the right. Some italics are based on handwriting with connected strokes and are called scripts.
Examples: Snell roundhand, Brush Script, Garamond Italic
3) Transitional Fonts
Serif fonts developed in the mid-1700s when typestyles evolved from Old Style to Modern. Examples: Times, Baskerville, Caslon
4) Modern Fonts
These typefaces have extreme contrasts between thick and thin strokes. Modern typefaces evolved from Transitional styles late in the 1700s.
Examples: Bodoni, Didot
5) Slab Serif Fonts
Slab-serif fonts, developed during the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century, are bold and easy to read with large, square serifs.
Examples: Aachen, Clarendon, New Century Schoolbook, Rockwell
6) Sans Serif Fonts
First introduced in the early 1800s sans serif typefaces did not become widely used until after World War II. French for "not" sans serif fonts do not have structural details on the end of strokes. Stroke weights are often uniform.
Examples: Univers, Helvetica, Futura, Verdana
7) Display Fonts
Type that is usually used in headlines to attract attention or as decorative initial capitals. Examples: Blockhead, Funkhouse, Hobo, Rosewood
By: Mary Beth & Paul Trautwein / http://graphicdesign.about.com/
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