Helvetica is a sans serif that was developed in 1957 by Swiss typeface designer Max Miendinger. At the time of its development, Helvetica was seen as a very modern typeface and was quickly embraced by many designers throughout the 1960s and 1970s. It remains popular with designers, and was the subject of the 2007 documentary Helvetica.
Times New Roman is a serif typeface developed by British newspaper The Times in 1931. The paper felt it needed to modernize its type and increase readability. Times New Roman remains one of the world’s most popular fonts, and is frequently the type of choice when printing paperback books.
Futura is a sans serif typeface developed in the 1920s by Paul Renner. It is often cited as the starting point for modern sans serif typefaces. It features unusual letter shapes that follow a strict geometric outline. Futura remains a popular typeface, used by companies such as Volkswagen and Bell Canada.
Courier is a serif typeface with an old-school look. It was created in 1955 by IBM for use in the company’s typewriters and became the standard typeface in the typewriter industry after IBM failed to acquire exclusive rights to the type. Its slab serif design features thick, block-like serifs that differentiate it from modern sans-serif typefaces.
Garamond is a serif typeface created in the 16th century by typographer Claude Garamond. Its features give a sense of fluidity that differentiate it from other typefaces designed at the time. It was updated in 1977 by typographer Tony Stan, who created ITC Garamond in order to give the typeface an updated and more modern look.
– source: urbanfonts.com