Grotesques are among the earliest sans serif designs. Instead of true italics they often come with obliques or slanted (sometimes optically adjusted) versions of the upright letters. Grotesque fonts are characterized by low contrast and, although once considered rather plain, they now come in a dizzying array of weights and widths, from rather neutral designs to others which blur the boundaries between grotesque, neo-grotesque, and other categories of sans serifs. Curious about the difference between Grotesque and Neo-Grotesque? Read our guide.