Typestyles began to change in the 1800s. 

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In 1816, an English type foundry created the world’s first printed sans-serif font.  A sans-serif typeface is just as it proclaims.  It is a typeface that does not have the serifs on the ends of the letters.  In modern times, sans-serif typefaces are commonly used on the web and in online marketing due to the easy readability on screen.  The use of the sans-serif type face was very controversial.  Up until then, only serif typefaces were used. 

“It is likely that several factors had, until that time, influenced the continuance of serifs at the end of letters.  First is tradition – all hand lettering styles used by scribes had serifs, and cast metal type was a continuation of hand lettering.  Secondly, the serifs help the human eye move from letter to letter, thereby facilitating reading.”  (History of Printing”)

Many people considered the sans-serif typefaces ‘grotesque’.  Some of these typefaces consist of “Helvetica, Grotesque, Arial, and Franklin Gothic.”  Later, ‘grotesque’ typefaces were joined by what we call geometric typefaces Geometric typefaces are typefaces that are considered modular.  They have clear starting and ending points and are sans-serif.  Geometric typefaces include “Avant Garde, Futura, Century Gothic, and Optima” (“The History of Printing”).