friendly

Arvo and Josefin Sans font pairing

Serif headings with a sans serif body.

Background
Issue 07 · Field notes
The future of small business

Good pairings feel inevitable. Great ones set the tone before a single word is read.

Typography sets the tone before a single word is read. A strong pairing creates clear hierarchy while feeling like one consistent voice across every page. This paragraph is set in Josefin Sans, while the headline uses Arvo. Numbers like 0123456789, punctuation “quotes” — and ampersands & — reveal a lot about how two typefaces get along.

Contrast, then harmony

Look for contrast in structure and harmony in proportion: similar x-heights, compatible widths and a shared sense of rhythm. Bold text and italic text should feel natural, too.

Why this pairing works

A classic contrast: Arvo's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while Josefin Sans's clean shapes keep body text easy to scan on screens. Josefin Sans ships in 7 weights, so you can build captions, buttons and emphasis without adding another family.

HArvo

Arvo is a free slab serif typeface designed by Anton Koovit, added to Google Fonts in 2010. It comes in 2 weights with matching italics.

More pairings for Arvo →

BJosefin Sans

Josefin Sans is a free sans serif typeface designed by Santiago Orozco, added to Google Fonts in 2010. It comes in 7 weights with matching italics, and is a variable font with a weight axis.

More pairings for Josefin Sans →

Use this pairing on your website

HTML — paste in <head>
<link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com">
<link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.gstatic.com" crossorigin>
<link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Arvo:wght@700&family=Josefin+Sans:wght@400;700&display=swap" rel="stylesheet">
CSS
h1, h2, h3 {
  font-family: 'Arvo', serif;
  font-weight: 700;
}

body {
  font-family: 'Josefin Sans', sans-serif;
  font-weight: 400;
  line-height: 1.6;
}

More pairings with Arvo

The future of small business

Typography sets the tone before a single word is read. A good pairing feels like one voice.

HArvoBOutfitfriendly→

A classic contrast: Arvo's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while Outfit's clean shapes keep body text easy to scan on screens.

Ideas that travel well

Typography sets the tone before a single word is read. A good pairing feels like one voice.

HArvoBMulishfriendly→

A classic contrast: Arvo's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while Mulish's clean shapes keep body text easy to scan on screens.

Good things take time

Typography sets the tone before a single word is read. A good pairing feels like one voice.

HArvoBUbuntufriendly→

A classic contrast: Arvo's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while Ubuntu's clean shapes keep body text easy to scan on screens.

More pairings with Josefin Sans

Make something people love

Typography sets the tone before a single word is read. A good pairing feels like one voice.

HFrauncesBJosefin Sanseditorial→

A classic contrast: Fraunces's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while Josefin Sans's clean shapes keep body text easy to scan on screens.

The future of small business

Typography sets the tone before a single word is read. A good pairing feels like one voice.

HEB GaramondBJosefin Sanseditorial→

A classic contrast: EB Garamond's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while Josefin Sans's clean shapes keep body text easy to scan on screens.

Frequently asked questions

Do Arvo and Josefin Sans go well together?

A classic contrast: Arvo's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while Josefin Sans's clean shapes keep body text easy to scan on screens. Josefin Sans ships in 7 weights, so you can build captions, buttons and emphasis without adding another family.

Which font should be used for headings?

Use Arvo for headings at weight 700, and Josefin Sans for body text at weight 400. You can swap them in the pairing tool to compare.

Are Arvo and Josefin Sans free?

Yes — both are open-source fonts on Google Fonts and free for personal and commercial use.