How to choose the second (sans serif) font

 

The text above is made of two different fonts: Teko and Open Sans, both sans serif. They work together because they are very different, i.e. the contrast is significant.


Take a look at the details above. The clear difference is found in the a and g, but such subtle in the e and s: The stroke at the end of the e and s, the terminal, is different. So is the main stroke of the s, the spine. Even more subtle contrast is the bowl or curvature of the o, and the dot of the i's. While one is a rectangle, the other is an oval, which brings me to the topic of contrast in the shape:

The more pronounced the curve, the softer a shape is perceived. Traditionally, banks and law firms logos and fonts are serif and the strokes a straight rather that curve, obviously there are exceptions, especially with generational changes. Consider the shape of a font and it's emotional relationship to the subject your presenting. Education might hold a very playful font like comic sans (yes, come after me!) but religious studies might require a serif font like Garamond. Once you have chosen the main font, you can choose the second two one, so that the contrast is achieve bertween the two.

If you need a tool to help you Google Fonts provides a pairing tool


I have talked about contrast in (line) shape. But there are other ways to achieve it like with color or stroke width, sometimes you can combine both as I did in the first example, but please be careful and don't go overboard.

Here is another example using Bebas Neue and Open Sans.

and for the same detail comparison

You can also get Teko from Google Fonts.



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