Sans-serif typefaces are, quite literally, without serifs. This means they do not include decorative strokes at the ends of the letters. While they come across as quite modern, the first sans-serif typeface was Caslon Egyptian, designed in 1816 by William Caslon IV.^[1] They became popular in print advertising and are often thought to be more readable on-screen than serif typefaces, though this is widely debated.

The most popular sans-serifs are Arial, Helvetica, and Tahoma, which are compatible with almost any device — although some might say they lack personality.