Robert Jett
Selecting the right font is a critical decision for any web project and a frequent point of focus for experienced web designers. Effective typography significantly impacts readability, user experience, and overall brand perception. But what are the core principles you need to understand to make informed choices, and which specific fonts currently lead the pack? We've curated a list of 20 excellent fonts that are particularly well-suited for use in your next Webflow project.
For many product-focused designers, fonts might seem like an afterthought. Intuitively, it can be hard to imagine any significant changes to the overall performance of your site coming directly from the fonts you use. However, fonts are a fundamental building block in web design, playing a role far beyond how text is displayed. Fonts can help establish a website's visual hierarchy, help improve the readability of the content you are displaying, and ultimately shape how visitors experience your site.
Therefore, it is critical for web designers to understand the nuances of fonts and to make informed decisions about which to include on their site. Within the world of fonts, key terminology, platforms, and best practices should always be considered as you build your site. The goal should always be to increase clarity, establish a brand identity, and maximize readability for a wide range of potential audiences.
Difference between Font and Typeface
Before we dive into the nuances of fonts and font design, an important distinction needs to be made: that between fonts and typefaces. In modern typography, the two terms are often used interchangeably, but the specific meaning of each term can carry with it different strategies and vocabularies.
Generally speaking, typeface refers to the design of a letterform – that is, the overall style, look, and feel of letters, numbers, and symbols. They are like a family of similarly designed symbols that can take on different weights, be italicized, or sizes. When referring to “typefaces”, designers are usually describing the high-level grouping of fonts that are applied across a website in different formats. Some popular examples include Times New Roman, Helvetica, Arial, or Open Sans.
On the other hand, a font describes the specific instace of a font. These are the digital files (.ttf, .otf. .woff) in which a specific kind of typeface exists. For example, if you are using ExtraLight 12px Montserrat on your website, that would be the “font”, which is itself a component of the larger typeface known as Montserrat. Although this distinction might seem arbitrary, this terminology can matter when you are trying to determine the slate of typefaces and their corresponding font applications you’ll be using on your website. As a general rule, typefaces convey the overall mood you want to capture on your site, whereas fonts describe more specific, intentional design choices.
Fonts 101: What you should know
When thinking about fonts, there are a few key concepts that should ground your decision-making:
- Serif vs. Sans Serif
- Baseline, X-Height, and Cap Height
- Ascenders and Descenders
- Kerning and Tracking
- Leading/Line-Height
- Weight
I’ll give a brief description of each below.
Serif vs. Sans Serif
This is often the most basic classification of fonts made on font websites. Serif fonts feature small “feet” (or serifs) attached to the end of the main stroke of the letters. These are often associated with traditional printing styles, like you’d see in a newspaper or print book, and often enjoy a high degree of readability. Conversely, sans serif fonts (literally “without serifs”) do not have these strokes, offering a cleaner, more modern look. Sans serif fonts are often more readable on smaller, digital screens.
Some popular serif fonts include Times New Roman, Garamond, and Georgia. Some popular sans serif fonts include Arial, Helvetica, and Inter.
Additionally, there are sub-categories (or perhaps different categories in their own right) of fonts that are less common but might appear during your search:
- slab serif fonts – thick, block-like serif fonts which are commonly used on posters or attention-grabbing headers (example: Courier),
- script fonts – which have a varied, fluid stroke, and are used to mimic human handwriting or suggest a formal, classical tone (example: Papyrus),
- monospaced fonts – which have letters and characters that occupy the same amount of horizontal space, especially common with tabular data and code blocks (example: Roboto Mono).
Baseline, X-Height, and Cap Height
These three measurements define the vertical proportions of a typeface. The Baseline is the invisible line on top of which most of the characters sit. X-Height measures the height of “main body” lowercase letters (meaning letters without ascenders or descenders, like “x”, “o”, or “a”) from the baseline. The Cap Height measures the height of capital letters from the baseline.
The relationship between the X-Height and the Cap Height contributes quite significantly to the overall feel and readability of the font. A high X-Height to Cap Height ratio makes lowercase letters easier to distinguish, increasing the perceived density of the text but also potentially improving its readability. The reverse (a low X-Height to Cap Height ratio) makes the text appear more elegant and traditional, sometimes to the detriment of readability.
Ascenders and Descenders
Ascenders and descenders are the parts of lowercase letters that extend above or below, respectively, the main body of lowercase letters (so letters like “p”, “l”, or “g”). The height of these elements can greatly impact the readability of text, contributing to the recognizability of characters that might otherwise be confused. For example, the letter “p” with a small descender might be confused with the letter “D”.
Kerning and Tracking
Kerning and tracking both involve the horizontal proportions of a typeface. Kerning involves the fine-tuning of space between specific pairs of letters that require a non-standard horizontal spacing (for example, “AV” or “To”. Because of the unique shapes of each letter, font designers need to pay special attention to how different pieces of each character hang over or under portions of other characters. Tracking, on the other hand, refers to a more uniform adjustment of spacing between characters, affecting the overall density and readability of the text.
Leading/Line-Height
Leading (pronounced “ledding”) or line-height describes the vertical distance between consecutive lines of text within a paragraph, measured from baseline to baseline. This is a crucial measurement when trying to improve the readability of a piece of text, with too little space making the text feel cramped and difficult to read, and too much space making the lines feel disconnected and hard to follow. The proper leading height often depends on specific characteristics of the fonts being used.
Weight
Finally, the weight of the font refers to the heaviness of the stroke used to form characters within a typeface. Most font families offers a wide selection of of weights, ranging from very thin options (“Hairline” or “Thin”), through more medium options (“Light”, “Regular”, “Medium”), to thicker options (“Semi-Bold”, “Bold”, “Black” and “Heavy”). The correct font weight to use depends significantly on the context surrounding the text and the types of fonts being used. Some fonts include many different weight options, while others (particularly more niche options) offer fewer.
If you develop a good understanding of these different characteristics of typefaces, you should be able to make much more informed decisions about the kinds that are best suited for your own web development project.
Setting Primary Website Fonts in Webflow
Choosing the primary fonts of your websites is a crucial design decision that has to be made early on in your project lifecycle. They form the backbone of the overall ethos of your website and can have significant downstream impacts on things like readability and understanding. At the highest level, website fonts are designated via CSS (font-family, font-weight, and font-style). In Webflow, this can either be handled in the project's Style Panel or directly by pasting code in the “Before the Body Tag” section of your homepage. The most important concept here, however, is that a font style and family is set hierarchically at the highest level of your project, which can then be inherited contextually by <p> or <li> elements (usually with other weights or sizes).
Most of the time, you will find fonts using a font management system. Within Webflow, this can be done through the built-in Google Fonts or Adobe Fonts integration. Google Fonts is integrated directly via API (and so can be added directly for free), whereas Adobe Fonts require an API token, which is provided if you are a paying subscriber to Adobe Creative Cloud. Alternatively, you can download fonts from an external website (such as dafont.com or fontshare.com) and upload them directly into your Webflow project. Keep in mind, however, that different font weights and styles – such as bold or italic versions – typically require the download of specific .otf files.
Factors to consider when choosing a font combination
Selecting the right font for your website is less a question of what you think looks nice and instead must focus on creating a harmonious and effective typographic system that usually involves pairing two or three font families together. A well-designed font combination emphasizes the visual hierarchy of your site, improves readability, and provides a unique visual appeal. The goal should be to pair fonts together that offer a complementary contrast – that is, fonts that are different enough to distinguish their roles, but similar enough to feel cohesive.
There are three main considerations to make when choosing a font combination:
- Visual hierarchy: use distinct differences in weight, size, and style (namely serif vs. sans serif) in order to make it immediately clear what is a header, what is a sub-headline, and what is a paragraph or a list.
- Readability: choose fonts that are easy to read in longer passages or immediately legible as page headlines.
- Brand personality and context: try to capture something about the character of your brand through the fonts that are being used. If you want to convey a traditional spirit, use serif fonts. If you want to instead communicate a modern, minimalist aesthetic, rely more heavily on sans-serif fonts.
Popular Website Font Combinations
Here are some popular font combinations that you’ll likely see on different websites:
Serif headline font with a sans serif body font
This is one of the most classic and popular font combinations. It offers elegance and authority to headlines while offering a very readable body text. This is great for a website where the majority of content lies in long paragraphs, but where the titles are the hook that will get the attention of a potential reader.
Sans serif headline font with a serif body font
This is another extremely common font pairing, particularly on more modern, sleek websites. By introducing serifs to body text, it can gesture towards more classic forms of writing (such as a newspaper article or a book), while still tapping into the modern sans serif design principles in the title texts.
Two different sans serif fonts
If you’ve ever seen the blog of a tech company (such as the one you’re reading now), you’re undoubtedly familiar with the two-sans-serif typeface combination. This is great for websites where the content isn’t really supposed to harken back to some earlier medium. It offers a clean aesthetic that is focused almost entirely on readability. Sometimes you’ll also see a variant of this where the typeface families are not necessarily different, but the weights and stylings of the same font family are made different enough such that the visual hierarchy is still clear.
It is technically possible to tastefully pair two serif fonts together, although this would likely require a higher degree of care placed on making the fonts sufficiently similar and contrasting to each other. This runs the risk of appearing like academic writing (such as an essay for school), which rarely meets the requirements of a high-quality typeface combination. In general, it is not recommended that this strategy be employed on modern websites.
20 Best Fonts Examples
Here are 20 of our favorite fonts for you to use on your next web project, along with some pairings that we think work especially well:
Sans Serif Fonts
Inter
Inter is a very legible and common sans-serif specifically made to display well on computer screens with a tall x-height. It is great for user interfaces, applications that integrate a lot of data, and body text where the ability to read things at small sizes is important.
Pairing Suggestion: Merriweather (Serif) or Lora (Serif)
Open Sans
This similarly common sans-serif typeface offers a neutral yet friendly appearance with excellent readability in different contexts. It is ideal for body text, UI elements, and any kind of web content where clarity and approachability are important.
Pairing Suggestion: Montserrat (Sans Serif) or PT Serif (Serif)
Roboto
Roboto combines more geometric forms with friendly, open curves, achieving a modern and efficient look without feeling sterile. It's very adaptable, making it great for Android interfaces, web applications, body copy, and headlines.
Pairing Suggestion: Open Sans (Sans Serif) or Roboto Slab (Slab Serif)
Lato
Lato provides an approachable and clear form factor with its semi-rounded details, balancing classic proportions with a more modern feel. It works well for both body text and headlines, offering a serious but friendly tone suitable for more humanist corporate sites or blogs.
Pairing Suggestion: Playfair Display (Serif) or Merriweather (Serif)
Montserrat
Inspired by the kinds of typography typically seen on urban signs and displays, Montserrat is a geometric sans-serif that brings a stylish and modern feel, particularly when used with its bolder weights. It’s great for headlines, short text blocks, site navigation elements, and branding elements where a strong, contemporary voice is desired.
Pairing Suggestion: Open Sans (Sans Serif) or Georgia (Serif)
Poppins
Poppins is another highly geometric sans-serif typeface that features near-perfect circles and a clean, inviting aesthetic. Its distinct styling makes it great for headlines, logos, and display purposes, aiming for a more unique, modern, and friendly vibe.
Pairing Suggestion: Roboto (Sans Serif) or PT Serif (Serif)
Source Sans 3
As Adobe's first open-source typeface, Source Sans was made to offer exceptional clarity and a straightforward, professional appearance optimized for user interfaces. It is highly effective for body text, UI labels, and any application demanding unambiguous legibility.
Pairing Suggestion: Source Serif 4 (Serif) or Montserrat (Sans Serif)
Proxima Nova
Proxima Nova strikes a balance between geometric structure and a more personal touch, creating a clean, modern, and incredibly versatile font. It's a popular choice for virtually everything: UI, branding, headlines, body text, and marketing materials.
Pairing Suggestion: Museo Slab (Slab Serif) or Georgia (Serif)
Raleway
Raleway is an especially elegant sans-serif with distinctive characters (like its criss-crossing 'W') and a slightly lighter feel than many geometrics. It excels in headlines, titles, and navigation elements where a flavor of sophistication and style is needed.
Pairing Suggestion: Lato (Sans Serif) or Merriweather (Serif)
PT Sans
Developed as part of the Public Type project, which aimed to create a font for use on screens shown to the public, PT Sans is a highly readable and straightforward sans-serif. Its clarity and comprehensive character set make it ideal for user interfaces, body text, and pairing with PT Serif, particularly in multilingual websites and applications.
Pairing Suggestion: PT Serif (Serif) or Open Sans (Sans Serif)
Serif Fonts
Merriweather
Designed specifically for reading text on screens, Merriweather features a large x-height and strong serifs for better legibility. It's a common choice for body text in blogs, news sites, and digital publications where comfortable long-form reading is expected.
Montserrat (Sans Serif) or Lato (Sans Serif)
Playfair Display
Playfair Display features a high-contrast serif that emphasizes elegance and drama, reminiscent of more traditional typefaces. It is best suited for large headlines, titles, and pull quotes where a sophisticated and impactful statement is required.
Suggested Pairing: Lato (Sans Serif) or Roboto (Sans Serif)
Google Fonts – Playfair Display
Lora
Lora offers a more contemporary serif option with more stylized calligraphic undertones and moderate contrast, making it fairly readable as well. It works well for body text requiring a touch of elegance and personality, bridging the gap between classic serifs and modern web needs.
Suggested Pairing: Open Sans (Sans Serif) or Inter (Sans Serif)
PT Serif
Part of a larger Public Type system described above, PT Serif is a very functional and readable transitional (meaning not quite modern, but not quite traditional) serif. It's excellent for body text, particularly if paired with its sans-serif counterpart (PT Sans), suitable for informational sites and publications.
Pairing Suggestion: PT Sans (Sans Serif) or Roboto (Sans Serif)
Source Serif
The serif complement to Source Sans, this typeface is optimized for clarity and comfortable reading in long digital text. Source Serif is ideal for body copy in digital documents, applications, and websites aiming for a traditional yet screen-friendly look.
Pairing Suggestion: Source Sans 3 (Sans Serif) or Inter (Sans Serif)
Libre Baskerville
An open-source adaptation of the classic Baskerville font, optimized for web use with a taller x-height for better reading on screen. It conveys tradition and formality, suitable for body text or headlines on sites wanting a classic literary or authoritative feel.
Pairing Suggestion: Lato (Sans Serif) or Open Sans (Sans Serif)
Google Fonts – Libre Baskerville
Georgia
Designed by Microsoft for screen readability, Georgia has a large x-height and distinct character shapes that hold up well even at small sizes. It remains a solid choice for body text on blogs and websites seeking a classic, highly legible serif appearance.
Pairing Suggestion: Proxima Nova (Sans Serif) or Arial (Sans Serif)
EB Garamond
This elegant open-source revival brings the classic Garamond style to the web with beautiful detailing. EB Garamond lends a sophisticated, timeless, and literary quality, best used for body text or headlines where a more refined character can be appreciated.
Pairing Suggestion: Raleway (Sans Serif) or Source Sans 3 (Sans Serif)
Slab Serif Fonts
Museo Sans/Slab
Museo Sans offers a friendly, geometric look with open forms, while Museo Slab provides a sturdy yet approachable slab serif counterpart. Together or separately, they suit modern branding, headlines, and websites aiming for a contemporary, slightly quirky, and highly legible style.
Pairing Suggestion: Museo Sans (Sans Serif) or Proxima Nova (Sans Serif)
Rockwell
Rockwell is a classic geometric slab serif known for its strong, monolinear strokes and distinct, unbracketed serifs. Its forceful and somewhat retro appearance makes it excellent for commanding headlines, logos, and display purposes where a bold, confident statement is needed. Note: This font is not available for free and must be downloaded via a paid license.
Pairing Suggestion: Inter Light (Sans Serif) or Lato (Sans Serif)
Script Fonts
Playwrite DK Loopet
Playwrite DK Loopet is a charming handwriting font designed to mimic casual, looped cursive script, specifically reflecting Danish handwriting conventions. Its informal and friendly style makes it suitable for personal notes, creative projects, educational materials, or any context needing a touch of lighthearted, handwritten personality.
Pairing Suggestion: Poppins Light (Sans Serif) or Inter Regular (Sans Serif)
Google Fonts – Playwrite Danmark Loopet
Bickham Script Pro 3
Bickham Script Pro is a very formal and elegant connecting script font based on 18th-century English Round Hand calligraphy, featuring numerous swashes, ligatures, and alternate characters. It excels in conveying sophistication and tradition, ideal for certificates issued by websites, extremely formal branding, or very decorative titles.
Pairing Suggestion: EB Garamond Regular (Serif) or Source Sans 3 Light (Sans Serif)
Adobe Fonts – Bickham Script Pro
Conclusion
Ultimately, the fonts chosen for a website are powerful communicators, shaping user perception and defining digital identity far beyond the literal meaning of the words they form. Mastering typography is, in many ways, like learning a new language – each typeface possesses its own nuance, tone, and cultural context that influences how a message is received. While theory and established combinations offer a foundation, true fluency comes from hands-on experimentation; the best way to develop an intuitive feel for pairing and hierarchy is simply to 'mess around' within your design environment, testing combinations and observing their impact.
For organizations operating at scale, this deep understanding often culminates in a crucial strategic step: commissioning a custom typeface. This bespoke approach isn't merely aesthetic; it becomes a unique, ownable brand asset ensuring perfect consistency and optimized performance across all touchpoints, solidifying a distinct visual voice in a crowded digital landscape. This is a level of control often necessary when reaching vast audiences. So, embrace the learning process, experiment freely, and begin to truly speak the language of fonts.
Add memberships to your Webflow project in minutes.
Over 200 free cloneable Webflow components. No sign up needed.
Add memberships to your React project in minutes.
.webp)
.png)
