Slab serif

A slab serif has thick, block-like serifs instead of delicate feet. Most have low stroke contrast, so the serifs feel nearly as heavy as the main stems. The genre arrived in the early nineteenth century for posters and advertising, first shown by the London founder Vincent Figgins around 1815, and it was also sold under the fashionable name Egyptian while Europe was still gripped by Egyptomania.

Use one when the copy needs the authority of a serif without the fragility of Didot or Bodoni. Rockwell is geometric and blunt, Clarendon has bracketed serifs and more warmth and is the face routed into the brown National Park Service signs, and Roboto Slab is built for contemporary screen use. Slabs work well for headlines, signage, packaging, and short emphatic labels.

Gotcha: slab serif is a broad genre, not one mood. A Clarendon can read editorial, a Rockwell can read industrial, and a decorative Tuscan face can read like a saloon sign. Pick by proportions, contrast, and serif shape instead of searching for any font tagged 'slab'.