Playfair Display is a great way to add that personal touch to something like a tagline, slogan or product description. With this in mind, it is hardly surprising that the font evokes such old-world charms but with a hint of modernism.Īdd into the mix Source Sans Pro, and we start to push things that bit further into the present, creating an enticing, discrete combination while still being very functional. Playfair Display is a great option when you want to go more significant, and it retains an effortlessly modern look for a Serif style font.Īccording to its designer, Playfair Display was inspired by 18th-century letterforms that emerged during the transition from feather-based quills to steel-tipped pens. There’s a clue in the name of “ Playfair Display” – any typeface with the word display in its title is usually designed for more extensive uses, such as headlines. The font combination makes for a clean and quirky pairing that’s instantly pleasing. The slightly innocent smile of Souvenir plays into the strident personality of Futura in a way that lightens the mood of both. So here we have two very different typefaces, from two different time periods, created for almost different purposes, that somehow bring out the best in each other. In contrast, Futura is bold, optimistic, and serious, concerned with modernism and forwardness.įollowing Bauhaus’s principles of futurism, Paul Renner created Futura in 1927, emphasising geometric forms hence we find near-perfect circles, triangles and squares within each letter. It was created in 1914 and envisaged as a throwback to earlier Art Nouveau models. Mixing two such strong typographic personalities is a risk that rarely pays off, as they end up fighting it out.Īllan Haley described Souvenir as being “like Times Roman dipped in chocolate” – playful, goofy and light. 10 Beautiful Font Combinations For All Your Design Needs 1 – Futura Bold & Souvenir We bring you ten perfect font pairings to suit all your design needs.
HOW TO COMBINE TYPE FONTS INTO A FAMILY FONT BOOK MAC PROFESSIONAL
However, with such a diverse world of professional typefaces (and a growing range of free fonts), how can you choose just two complimentary fonts? These four simple rules will provide you with visual harmony in most situations. This will undoubtedly present Futura as your primary font and Garamond as your go-to alternative for detail, extra information and support. Try an eye-catching, 30pt title in white sans-serif Futura, with a subtle, neutral grey, 12pt subtitle in serif Garamond. This can be achieved by varying the size and weight of each typeface or even incorporating colour into the mix. One should ideally be more prominent than the other. The most important thing when combining two very different fonts is establishing a clear hierarchy. Some fonts are members of ‘superfamilies’, which means they come with a selection of different weights, styles and classifications specially designed to work together.įor example, the Avenir superfamily includes the following sub-fonts: Avenir Heavy, Avenir Medium, Avenir Light, Avenir Next, Avenir Bold, Avenir Condensed, Avenir Roman, and Avenir Oblique, all of which come in italic, bold and regular font pairs.Īny font combinations will work well together, so you cannot go wrong by keeping it in the family. The most straightforward way of guaranteeing that a font pairing works perfectly is by using different fonts within the same typeface family. So when it comes to font combinations, the golden rule is complement or contrast, but never conflict. Then you know you have found a pairing that rolls off the eye. The idea is that if you get the combo right, the viewer can almost not notice what you have done. The more similar they are, the more likely they will clash.Įqually, two very different fonts could be in danger of pulling your design in opposite directions. The whole idea of using multiple fonts is to create visual diversity, so there’s no point in choosing two that are broadly identical. The ideal combination should harmonise without risking being too similar. The last thing you want is both fonts to fight for the viewer’s attention. For starters, always look for font pairings that complement one another.