Didone (Modern) Serif vs Slab Serif
Slab Serif evolved from Didone (Modern) Serif — the fattened, slab-serifed 'Egyptian' descendants of the modern face.
Didone (Modern) Serif
The rationalist serif at its most extreme — hairline-thin thins against heavy stems, a strictly vertical axis, and flat, unbracketed serifs. Dazzling, high-fashion, and unmistakably 'modern'.
- Extreme contrast between hairline thins and heavy stems
- Strictly vertical axis of stress
- Flat, thin, unbracketed serifs
- Ball terminals on a, c, f, r
- Vertical, geometric, even letter proportions
Slab Serif
Heavy, blocky serifs as thick as the stems, born for the bold demands of nineteenth-century advertising. Low contrast and squared-off, it shouts where the Didone whispers.
- Thick, square serifs nearly equal in weight to the stems
- Low stroke contrast, often near-monoline
- Bracketed (Clarendon) or unbracketed (geometric) serif joins
- Sturdy, even, mechanical proportions
- Large x-height with robust, blocky color
At a glance
| Didone (Modern) Serif | Slab Serif | |
|---|---|---|
| Era | 1780s–1820s | 1810s–1840s |
| Discipline | Typography | Typography |
| Region | Italy, France | England, United States |
| Family | Serif | Serif |
| Formal traits | didone, high-contrast, vertical-stress, unbracketed | slab-serif, low-contrast, monoline, vertical-stress |
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