Editing Sans-serif (section)

===Grotesque===
[[File:Akzidenz Grotesk Regular & Italic.svg|thumb|[[Akzidenz-Grotesk]], originally released by [[Berthold Type Foundry|H. Berthold AG]] in the 1890s. A popular German grotesque with a single-story 'g'{{efn|The original metal type of Akzidenz-Grotesk did not have an oblique; this was added in the 1950s, although many sans-serif obliques of the period are similar.}}]]

This group features most of the early (19th century to early 20th) sans-serif designs. Influenced by [[Didone (typography)|Didone]] serif typefaces of the period and sign painting traditions, these were often quite solid, bold designs suitable for headlines and advertisements. The early sans-serif typefaces often did not feature a lower case or [[Italic type|italics]], since they were not needed for such uses. They were sometimes released by width, with a range of widths from extended to normal to condensed, with each style different, meaning to modern eyes they can look quite irregular and eccentric.<ref name="Shinn Uniformity" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Coles |first=Stephen |title=Helvetica alternatives |url=http://fontfeed.com/archives/helvetica-and-alternatives-to-helvetica/ |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130102185551/http://fontfeed.com/archives/helvetica-and-alternatives-to-helvetica/ |archive-date=2 January 2013 |access-date=1 July 2015 |website=FontFeed (archived)}}</ref>

Grotesque typefaces have limited variation of stroke width (often none perceptible in capitals). The terminals of curves are usually horizontal, and many have a spurred "G" and an "R" with a curled leg. Capitals tend to be of relatively uniform width. Cap height and ascender height are generally the same to produce a more regular effect in texts such as titles with many capital letters, and [[Descender (typography)|descenders]] are often short for tighter line spacing.<ref name="A Neo-Grotesque Heritage" />  They often avoid having a true italic in favor of a more restrained [[oblique type|oblique]] or sloped design, although at least some sans-serif true italics were offered.<ref name="Specimens of type, borders, ornaments, brass rules and cuts, etc. : catalogue of printing machinery and materials, wood goods, etc" /><ref name="Italic Gothic Fonts in Use">{{Cite web |title=Italic Gothic |url=https://fontsinuse.com/typefaces/40724/italic-gothic |access-date=25 February 2017 |website=Fonts in Use}}</ref>

Examples of grotesque typefaces include [[Akzidenz-Grotesk]], [[Venus (typeface)|Venus]], [[News Gothic]], [[Franklin Gothic]], [[IBM Plex]] and [[Monotype Grotesque]]. Akzidenz Grotesk Old Face, Knockout, [[Grotesque (Stephenson Blake typefaces)|Grotesque No. 9]] and Monotype Grotesque are examples of [[computer font|digital fonts]] that retain more of the eccentricities of some of the early sans-serif types.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hoefler & Frere-Jones |title=Knockout |url=http://www.typography.com/fonts/knockout/overview/ |access-date=1 July 2015 |publisher=Hoefler & Frere-Jones}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hoefler & Frere-Jones |title=Knockout sizes |url=http://www.typography.com/fonts/knockout/features/knockout-size-proficiency |publisher=Hoefler & Frere-Jones}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Knockout styles |url=http://www.typography.com/fonts/knockout/features/knockout-nine-widths |access-date=1 July 2015 |publisher=Hoefler & Frere-Jones}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Lippa |first=Domenic |title=10 favourite fonts |url=https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/gallery/2013/sep/14/the-10-best-fonts?picture=417118798 |access-date=1 July 2015 |website=The Guardian|date=14 September 2013 }}</ref>

According to Monotype, the term "grotesque" originates from {{langx|it|grottesco}}, meaning "belonging to the cave" due to their simple geometric appearance.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Grotesque Sans |url=https://catalog.monotype.com/type-style/sans-serif/grotesque-sans |access-date=16 March 2021 |publisher=Monotype}}</ref> The term arose because of adverse comparisons that were drawn with the more ornate Modern Serif and Roman typefaces that were the norm at the time.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Greta, P |title=What Are Grotesque Fonts? History, Inspiration and Examples |newspaper=Creative Market Blog |date=21 August 2017 |url=https://creativemarket.com/blog/grotesque-fonts |access-date=16 March 2021 |publisher=Creative Market}}</ref>