editorial

Bitter and Nunito Sans font pairing

Serif headings with a sans serif body.

Background
Issue 07 · Field notes
The art of saying less

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 Nunito Sans, while the headline uses Bitter. 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: Bitter's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while Nunito Sans's clean shapes keep body text easy to scan on screens. Nunito Sans ships in 9 weights, so you can build captions, buttons and emphasis without adding another family.

HBitter

Bitter is a free serif typeface designed by Sol Matas, added to Google Fonts in 2011. It comes in 9 weights with matching italics, and is a variable font with a weight axis.

More pairings for Bitter →

BNunito Sans

Nunito Sans is a free sans serif typeface designed by Vernon Adams, Jacques Le Bailly, Manvel Shmavonyan and Alexei Vanyashin, added to Google Fonts in 2016. It comes in 9 weights with matching italics, and is a variable font with YTLC, optical size, width and weight axes.

More pairings for Nunito 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=Bitter:wght@700&family=Nunito+Sans:wght@400;700&display=swap" rel="stylesheet">
CSS
h1, h2, h3 {
  font-family: 'Bitter', serif;
  font-weight: 700;
}

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

More pairings with Bitter

Good things take time

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

HBitterBRobotoeditorial→

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

Make something people love

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

HBitterBIntereditorial→

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

Design is how it works

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

HRalewayBBittermoderneditorial→

A modern twist on the classic: Raleway keeps headings crisp and contemporary, while Bitter's serifs guide the eye along longer lines of text.

More pairings with Nunito Sans

The art of saying less

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

HPlayfair DisplayBNunito Sanseditorial→

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

Notes from the studio

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

HFrauncesBNunito Sanseditorial→

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

Notes from the studio

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

HCinzelBNunito Sanseditorial→

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

Frequently asked questions

Do Bitter and Nunito Sans go well together?

A classic contrast: Bitter's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while Nunito Sans's clean shapes keep body text easy to scan on screens. Nunito Sans ships in 9 weights, so you can build captions, buttons and emphasis without adding another family.

Which font should be used for headings?

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

Are Bitter and Nunito Sans free?

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