It’s just a fact that everything is better in twos. Imagine all those buy-one-get-one-free deals that you see at your favorite store. How often do you actually leave the store with only one item? Or, think about a peanut butter sandwich without the jelly! Pairs never go out of style, and that’s just a fact. The best thing about good pairs? They make each individual entity better.
Font pairing takes skill, but if it’s done right, it can improve the look of any design project or website. Pairing the fonts is like a balancing act. The fonts have to work together, and one has to take the spotlight while the other takes the back seat. Both
Why use a font tool?
You may be wondering, why do you need a font combination tool just to pick out two fonts? Well, let me tell you, pairing fonts is so much more than just picking out two fonts. A font is the vehicle of content. There are many car options out there, but at the end of the day, they bring you from point A to point B. Yet, there is a reason there are so many types of cars out there. Certain cars are better for certain purposes. For example, if you travel long distances in your car, you may be looking for a car with better gas mileage. If you just had a baby, you may be looking for a car with a lot of safety features to keep your little one safe.
The same applies to fonts. Fonts are a way to show your content, but each font serves a different purpose, style, and emotional response within the reader. This is already hard to choose with one font, then add another to the mix, and you’re challenged to pick two fonts that compliment each other as well as the goals of your design. If you’re not confident in your ability to check off all these boxes, a font tool is a great resources to ensure you’re on the right track.
How to use a font tool?
Lucky you, they’re simple to use. This varies depending on each font combination tool, but usually you pick a font and the tool will generate a font that pairs well with the one you chose. Some font combination tools also allow you to skim through popular font pairings. This is a great way to “window shop” for a great font pairing.
Great font combination tools:
Font Combination Tool by Bold Web Design
Simplicity is the name of the
Typotheque
Typotheque is a very intuitive tool, meaning you have a lot of options if you’re a more experienced designer. On the right you’ll see a list of fonts to choose from. Once you’ve picked the font you’d like, you drag and drop it into either the top or bottom font. While this tool does not automatically pair two fonts together, it does give you suggestions for font pairings based on a certain style. You can also view the fonts in different styles and weights.
Fontjoy
We all know opposites attract, but similar fonts can also pair well together. When you are searching for a font in this tool, it lists them in the order from the most similar to least similar, to your first font. You can “lock” a font if you like it, and use the generate button to find a font that pairs well with it. You can also change the background from light to dark, and see which background looks better on different fonts.
Type Connection
When you don’t like the task, make it a game. This tool makes font pairing fun by making it a dating game! Test fonts based on compatibility with wild descriptions. After picking two, send them on a date and see if it goes well! If you’re looking for a shortcut, you can also just Meet the Matches, which is a list of fonts that pair nicely together.
Canva
Begin with a starter font from a drop down list. Then, see its well matched pair! Displayed on an image as well, you are able to see what these fonts would look like in a real design. Simple enough!
Conclusion
Whether you’re new to this or you’ve been in the world of fonts for awhile now, font tools are a great way to expand your knowledge of all the fonts out there and understand which fonts pair well together. Even with pairing aside, these combination tools are a great way to visually see fonts in action.
These font tools show fonts in headlines as well as a paragraph to show you how they would appear on your project. Some tools also have the capability to show you fonts in different weights and style, as there are fonts that present a completely different look when used in a different weight!
Written by Kelsey
A creative jack of all trades, Kelsey from Bold Web Design brings tasteful wit to each article she writes.