Humanist Serif typefaces are
closely related to calligraphy and
the open letterforms of Italian humanist writers. The strokes are low in variation and resemble calligraphic writing.

These typefaces have slanted axes and a diagonal stress. They are considered the first roman types.

Humanist typefaces, also called Venetian and Old Style, began around the 1460s.

Until their evolution, typefaces remained modeled after medieval gothic scripts, such as Blackletter or textura. Departing from these older methods, Nicolas Jenson, a pioneer printer and typographer, is credited as the creator of one of the early roman types.

Typeface examples:

• Centaur
• Garamond
• Jenson
• Verona
• Arno
• Caslon
• Palatino
• Bembo
• Sabon