Assess These Font Combinations

Combination 1

This combination of Source Sans Pro and Source Serif Pro is perfect. The two fonts are from the same “superfamily”, meaning that (in this case) they share the same letter shapes, and are designed to work together. It is also effective to pair a serif and a sans-serif.

Combination 2

This combination of DM Sans and Lato doesn’t work. First, it’s a pairing of two sans-serifs, and second, the two fonts are of different classifications, and clash with one another. (DM Sans is a geometric sans serif, while Lato is a humanist sans-serif.)

Combination 3

This combination of Poppins Bold and Playfair Display doesn’t work. Although it pairs a serif with a sans-serif, the personality of the two fonts is very different, meaning that the combination feels incoherent. Also, Playfair Display is designed for use at large sizes, and would have poor readability as a body text font.

Combination 4

This combination of Times New Roman and Georgia doesn’t work. It’s a pairing of two serifs, which is very rarely effective. They are also too similar — both typefaces are transitional serifs. In this case, it would be more effective to use the same font for headings and body text, or to pair a sans-serif with either Times New Roman or Georgia.

Combination 5

Finally, this combination of Playfair Display and Karla works well. Playfair Display is a didone serif intended for use at larger sizes, so is suitable for use in headings. Karla is a grotesk sans-serif with similar proportions and letter shapes to Playfair Display. The two fonts harmonise well, while having enough points of contrast to be interesting.