Font Pairing Rules
Great font pairings are essential to great design!
Here are some basic rules to create great font pairings:
1. Complement
It is always safe to find font pairings that complement one another.
A great font combination should harmonize, without being too similar or too different.
2. Use Font Superfamilies
A font superfamily is a set of fonts designed to work well together. So, using different fonts within the same superfamily is safe.
For example, the Lucida superfamily contains the following fonts: Lucida Sans, Lucida Serif, Lucida Typewriter Sans, Lucida Typewriter Serif and Lucida Math.
3. Contrast is King
Two fonts that are too similar will often conflict. However, contrasts, done the right way, brings out the best in each font.
Example: Combining serif with sans serif is a well known combination.
A strong superfamily includes both serif and sans serif variations of the same font (e.g. Lucida and Lucida Sans).
4. Choose Only One Boss
One font should be the boss. This establishes a hierarchy for the fonts on your page. This can be achieved by varying the size, weight and color.
Example
body {
background-color: black;
font-family: Verdana,
sans-serif;
font-size: 16px;
color: gray;
}
h1
{
font-family: Georgia, serif;
font-size: 60px;
color: white;
}
Below, we have shown some popular font pairings that will suit many brands and contexts.
Georgia and Verdana
Georgia and Verdana is a classic combination. It also sticks to the web safe font standards:
Example
Beautiful Norway
Norway has a total area of 385,252 square
kilometers and a population of 5,438,657 (December 2020). Norway is bordered by Sweden, Finland and Russia to the north-east, and the Skagerrak to the south, with Denmark on the other side.
Norway has beautiful mountains, glaciers and stunning fjords. Oslo, the capital, is a city of green spaces and museums. Bergen, with colorful wooden houses, is the starting point for cruises to the dramatic Sognefjord. Norway is also known for fishing, hiking and skiing.
Helvetica and Garamond
Helvetica and Garamond is another classic combination that uses web safe fonts:
Example
Beautiful Norway
Norway has a total area of 385,252 square
kilometers and a population of 5,438,657 (December 2020). Norway is bordered by Sweden, Finland and Russia to the north-east, and the Skagerrak to the south, with Denmark on the other side.
Norway has beautiful mountains, glaciers and stunning fjords. Oslo, the capital, is a city of green spaces and museums. Bergen, with colorful wooden houses, is the starting point for cruises to the dramatic Sognefjord. Norway is also known for fishing, hiking and skiing.
Popular Google Font Pairings
If you do not want to use standard fonts in HTML, you can use Google Fonts.
Google Fonts are free to use, and have more than 1000 fonts to choose from.
Below are some popular Google Web Font Pairings.
Merriweather and Open Sans
Example
Beautiful Norway
Norway has a total area of 385,252 square
kilometers and a population of 5,438,657 (December 2020). Norway is bordered by Sweden, Finland and Russia to the north-east, and the Skagerrak to the south, with Denmark on the other side.
Norway has beautiful mountains, glaciers and stunning fjords. Oslo, the capital, is a city of green spaces and museums. Bergen, with colorful wooden houses, is the starting point for cruises to the dramatic Sognefjord. Norway is also known for fishing, hiking and skiing.
Ubuntu and Lora
Example
Beautiful Norway
Norway has a total area of 385,252 square
kilometers and a population of 5,438,657 (December 2020). Norway is bordered by Sweden, Finland and Russia to the north-east, and the Skagerrak to the south, with Denmark on the other side.
Norway has beautiful mountains, glaciers and stunning fjords. Oslo, the capital, is a city of green spaces and museums. Bergen, with colorful wooden houses, is the starting point for cruises to the dramatic Sognefjord. Norway is also known for fishing, hiking and skiing.
Abril Fatface and Poppins
Example
Beautiful Norway
Norway has a total area of 385,252 square
kilometers and a population of 5,438,657 (December 2020). Norway is bordered by Sweden, Finland and Russia to the north-east, and the Skagerrak to the south, with Denmark on the other side.
Norway has beautiful mountains, glaciers and stunning fjords. Oslo, the capital, is a city of green spaces and museums. Bergen, with colorful wooden houses, is the starting point for cruises to the dramatic Sognefjord. Norway is also known for fishing, hiking and skiing.
Cinzel and Fauna One
Example
Beautiful Norway
Norway has a total area of 385,252 square
kilometers and a population of 5,438,657 (December 2020). Norway is bordered by Sweden, Finland and Russia to the north-east, and the Skagerrak to the south, with Denmark on the other side.
Norway has beautiful mountains, glaciers and stunning fjords. Oslo, the capital, is a city of green spaces and museums. Bergen, with colorful wooden houses, is the starting point for cruises to the dramatic Sognefjord. Norway is also known for fishing, hiking and skiing.
Fjalla One and Libre Baskerville
Example
Beautiful Norway
Norway has a total area of 385,252 square
kilometers and a population of 5,438,657 (December 2020). Norway is bordered by Sweden, Finland and Russia to the north-east, and the Skagerrak to the south, with Denmark on the other side.
Norway has beautiful mountains, glaciers and stunning fjords. Oslo, the capital, is a city of green spaces and museums. Bergen, with colorful wooden houses, is the starting point for cruises to the dramatic Sognefjord. Norway is also known for fishing, hiking and skiing.
Space Mono and Muli
Example
Beautiful Norway
Norway has a total area of 385,252 square
kilometers and a population of 5,438,657 (December 2020). Norway is bordered by Sweden, Finland and Russia to the north-east, and the Skagerrak to the south, with Denmark on the other side.
Norway has beautiful mountains, glaciers and stunning fjords. Oslo, the capital, is a city of green spaces and museums. Bergen, with colorful wooden houses, is the starting point for cruises to the dramatic Sognefjord. Norway is also known for fishing, hiking and skiing.
Spectral and Rubik
Example
Beautiful Norway
Norway has a total area of 385,252 square
kilometers and a population of 5,438,657 (December 2020). Norway is bordered by Sweden, Finland and Russia to the north-east, and the Skagerrak to the south, with Denmark on the other side.
Norway has beautiful mountains, glaciers and stunning fjords. Oslo, the capital, is a city of green spaces and museums. Bergen, with colorful wooden houses, is the starting point for cruises to the dramatic Sognefjord. Norway is also known for fishing, hiking and skiing.
Oswald and Noto Sans
Example
Beautiful Norway
Norway has a total area of 385,252 square
kilometers and a population of 5,438,657 (December 2020). Norway is bordered by
Sweden, Finland and Russia to the north-east, and the Skagerrak to the south, with Denmark on the other side.
Norway has beautiful mountains, glaciers and stunning fjords. Oslo, the capital, is a city of green spaces and museums. Bergen, with colorful wooden houses, is the starting point for cruises to the dramatic Sognefjord. Norway is also known for fishing, hiking and skiing.
For a list of all free Google Fonts, visit our How To - Google Fonts Tutorial.
