TL;DR: Summary
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Pair a bold display font with a clean sans-serif•
Use serif + sans-serif for contrast and readability•
Stick to Google Fonts or Canva fonts—easy and free•
Limit yourself to 2 fonts per design•
Copy these 5 combos and paste directly into your next projectYou’re building a poster, slide, or social post.
You have the layout. The colors look fine.
But something still feels… amateur?
It’s probably the fonts.
Choosing fonts is one of the hardest parts of design, especially for non-designers.
The good news? You don’t need to know typography theory.
You just need a few safe, proven pairings—and that’s exactly what this post gives you.
How Font Pairing Works (In Plain English)
When two fonts look too similar, there’s no contrast. It feels boring.
When two fonts look too different, it feels chaotic. Your audience gets distracted.
What you want is harmony + contrast:
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One font that stands out (usually for headings)
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One that’s calm and readable (for body text)
Golden Rule: One font to grab attention, one font to support it. Safe Rules for Pairing Fonts
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Never use more than two fonts in one project
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Use font weight, size, and spacing for variation
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Make sure at least one of the fonts is highly legible
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Test your combo in a short sentence—does it feel balanced?
5 Foolproof Font Pairings (You Can Copy Now)
They're clean, modern, and versatile.
1. Playfair Display + Lato
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Playfair Display: Elegant, serif headline
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Lato: Clean, modern sans-serif body
Perfect for: Portfolio pages, wedding invites, lifestyle blogs
2. Montserrat + Open Sans
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Montserrat: Bold and geometric for headlines
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Open Sans: Extremely readable for body text
Perfect for: Corporate decks, marketing slides, modern websites
3. Raleway + Roboto
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Raleway: Stylish, rounded sans-serif for headings
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Roboto: Clean and neutral for body
Perfect for: Fashion brand visuals, product posters, resumes
4. Bebas Neue + Nunito
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Bebas Neue: All-caps, impactful headline font
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Nunito: Soft, friendly sans-serif for body
Perfect for: Event flyers, social media posts, YouTube thumbnails
5. Oswald + Source Sans Pro
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Oswald: Compact, strong sans-serif
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Source Sans Pro: Designed for UI, highly legible
Perfect for: Infographics, dashboards, app UI mockups
Bonus Tip: Use One Font Family with Multiple Weights
Not ready to mix fonts?
Start with just one font like Inter, Poppins, or IBM Plex Sans, and use:
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Bold for headings
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Regular for body
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Medium Italic for subheads
It’s clean, simple, and still gives you variety.
Final Thoughts
Choosing the right fonts shouldn’t feel stressful.
You don’t need to memorize typography rules—just start with the combos above, and adjust as you go.
Remember:•
Heading = style
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Body = clarity
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Two fonts max
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Keep it readable
Try one of these pairings in your next Canva or Figma project—you’ll be amazed at the difference.