Choosing and pairing brand fonts like a Pro

When it comes to creating a professional looking website, it’s important to not only consider the colors(opens in a new tab or window) and images(opens in a new tab or window) you use, but also the fonts(opens in a new tab or window). Typography(opens in a new tab or window) plays such a pivotal role in brand perception that fonts should be at the forefront of the design process(opens in a new tab or window), rather than just an afterthought.

Certain typefaces communicate different values and meanings and these should align perfectly with your overall brand message(opens in a new tab or window). When choosing a professional font for your website(opens in a new tab or window), it’s also vital to ensure they’re readable, user-friendly and web-safe—meaning they work across all browsers and devices. You can create a website mockup(opens in a new tab or window) to visualize your website and see how you can improve your design. Whether you’re creating a website for a brick-and-mortar store, online business or professional portfolio(opens in a new tab or window), here are the 19 best professional fonts to use for your website.

This serif font is an excellent choice for your website.It has an elegant, modern and slightly feminine quality, making it a perfect choice for websites with a female demographic. It comes in a range of weights from italic to bold, however, it’s often used in the lighter weight in headers due to its aesthetically-pleasing nature.

The Sunday Bite(opens in a new tab or window) template showcases an upper case version of Playfair Display has been used for a more attention-grabbing header, while still maintaining a delicate feel.

Arvo is a geometric slab-serif typeface known for its versatility and readability. It comes in four different cuts—regular, italic, bold and bold italic—and depending on which one you choose, it can look either classic or modern. For this reason, it can be an excellent choice for businesses across most industries and very versatile for your website.

In the Teal Books and Publishers Online Store Website(opens in a new tab or window) template, upper case Arvo has been paired with a light pastel font to stand out against a dark background.

This sans-serif font has a futuristic, almost sci-fi quality that makes it a great option for innovative science and tech start-ups. It tends to pair well with fonts like Exo and Lato, which have a similarly quirky aesthetic.

When paired with a vibrant color like purple—as seen here in the Purple Apps and Technology Business Advertising Website(opens in a new tab or window) template, Dosis is the ideal font choice to make this innovative tech company stand out from the pack.

Developed specifically for screens, this serif font is readable even at small sizes. Whether it’s in regular, bold and italic weight, it maintains a sophisticated feel suitable for brands that take themselves seriously.

As seen in the Orange Cars and Automotive Business/Advertising Website(opens in a new tab or window) template, Merriweather can be used to strike the perfect balance between style and simplicity for a luxury brand.

Helvetica is one of the world’s most popular fonts, due to its versatility—there are more than 100 variations! It’s also one of the oldest, having been around since 1957. However, despite being quite a classic font, its enduring popularity can be attributed to its universal, modern appeal.

The Green Freelance Writer Portfolio Website(opens in a new tab or window) template uses Helvetish, Canva's version of the iconic font. It can be used by professionals and businesses to create a clean and impactful website.

This geometric sans-serif font can be easily used almost anywhere on your website, whether it’s in a header or as smaller text. With a bold and youthful aesthetic, it’s an excellent choice for a millennial demographic—which is often why you’ll see it used by digital and creative agencies.

Montserrat once again makes a splash against a bold, bright color scheme in this template, Pink and Orange Concert Events Website(opens in a new tab or window), creating a cool and youthful vibe.

This sans-serif font is often described as neutral and minimalistic, as well as highly readable. While it’s a safe option for most types of websites, it tends to work best for businesses that count reliability and quality control as their top values.

A bold, upper case version of Open Sans has been used to compliment a minimalistic, monochrome aesthetic in the Decor Online Store Website(opens in a new tab or window) template.

This sans-serif font was specifically created for corporate use, so it tends to work best for brands within that landscape. It has a highly professional quality, but still feels warm and inviting.

Lato is an excellent choice to give brands in more serious fields like accounting a more modern, friendly feel. Try this template, Yellow Accounting Business/Advertising Website(opens in a new tab or window)

This all-caps, sans-serif font works best for attention-grabbing headers. Like Dosis, it has a slightly futuristic aesthetic that is complementary to tech brands. It tends to pair well with other fonts like Montserrat, Lato, and Playfair.

This design, Neon Green Futuristic Twitch Banner(opens in a new tab or window), takes the eye-catching Bebas Neue header to the next level by combining it with a neon green against a plain black background.

Inspired by 1930s font trends, Josefin Sans is a geometric font with an elegant and vintage feel. It’s often used by fashion, design and beauty brands, due to its air of sophistication. It covers the entire spectrum of font weights, from thin through to bold.

Showcasing the versatility of Josefin Sans, the font takes on a more feminine and warm aesthetic in the Carafe Health and Beauty Online Store Website(opens in a new tab or window) template.

With a name like Abril Fatface, a font can’t take itself too seriously. Sure enough, this curved serif font projects warm, friendly energy, as well as a slightly playful aesthetic. It’s often used by brands that value creativity and fun.

The Theatre Actor Portfolio Website(opens in a new tab or window) template could be easily customized by any creative wanting to project a warm and friendly personal brand.

Whether it’s in lower case, lightweight form or bold upper case, Quicksand maintains a youthful quality. The san-serif geometric font is most suitable for fun, youthful brands or those that are marketing to children.

The lower case iteration of Quicksand pairs perfectly with a pastel color scheme to achieve a fun and friendly vibe in the Pink and Blue Pet Care Small Business Website(opens in a new tab or window) template.

What started as a Kickstarter project has become one of the world’s most popular futuristic fonts. Exo is a geometric sans-serif font with a large font family, making it a versatile option for forward-thinking tech and gaming companies.

Combined with the geometric lines and simple color scheme, Exo helps to achieve a clean and minimalistic design in the Blue Medical Conference Events Website(opens in a new tab or window) template.

Studies show that Libre Baskerville is perceived as the most trustworthy brand amongst consumers. It’s for this reason that the serif font is often used by banks, accounting firms and other financial providers.

The template Blue Accounting Business/Advertising Website(opens in a new tab or window) is the perfect example of a brand encompassing their values—expertise, commitment and value—through their choice of font.

Roboto is known as a neo-grotesque font—which is not to say it’s aesthetically-displeasing, but rather, references its Gothic origins. The sans-serif typeface is quite enigmatic, in that its geometric but also has open curves. The result is a font that looks friendly and professional at the same time.

The use of Roboto type on the Mint Green Advocacy Portfolio Website(opens in a new tab or window) template prevents the clean and minimalistic design from looking too clinical.

While many designers scoff at Times New Roman, it’s hard to go wrong with this classic font. The serif font is neutral, readable and has a timeless quality that never goes out of style.

On Canva, this font is replaced with Times Neue Roman, showcased on this template, Orange Restaurant Business/Advertising Website(opens in a new tab or window). It proves that it can look classic and elegant, even with paired with a brighter color scheme.

With a distinctly beachy vibe, it’s not surprising that Pacifico was inspired by 1950s surf culture. This unique, hand-drawn brush script works best for brands with a laidback, relaxed vibe.

The Jewelery and Accessories Online Store Website(opens in a new tab or window) template proves that the laidback Pacifico can still make a major impact for a luxury brand.

Deriving from the mother font Century Gothic Bold, League Spartan is a newer geometric sans-serif font. It has a bold, modern aesthetic and is versatile enough to be used as title, body or button text.

League Spartan goes hand in hand with a bold color scheme, as seen in the Blue Modern Studio Tumblr Banner(opens in a new tab or window) template.

Oswald is a professional and readable font that still has charm and character. With an extensive font family, the serif typeface can look different in its various weights—however, it always maintains a sense of simple sophistication.

The Apps and Technology Business/Advertising Website(opens in a new tab or window) template featuring Oswald in upper case font would be the perfect starting point for any tech brand’s website.

Choosing the best font for your website and marketing materials is essential to creating a strong and recognizable brand identity. It’s important to understand your brand and to take note of the brand's you admire and what fonts they favour. Ultimately, the best fonts for your website will be memorable, legible and communicate your values.