elegant · modern

DM Serif Display and DM Sans font pairing

A superfamily match: shared proportions, opposite personalities.

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 DM Sans, while the headline uses DM Serif Display. 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: DM Serif Display's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while DM Sans's clean shapes keep body text easy to scan on screens. DM Sans ships in 10 weights, so you can build captions, buttons and emphasis without adding another family.

HDM Serif Display

DM Serif Display is a free serif typeface designed by Colophon Foundry, added to Google Fonts in 2019. It comes in 1 weight with matching italics.

More pairings for DM Serif Display →

BDM Sans

DM Sans is a free sans serif typeface designed by Colophon Foundry, added to Google Fonts in 2019. It comes in 10 weights with matching italics, and is a variable font with optical size and weight axes.

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

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

More pairings with DM Serif Display

Everything starts with a sketch

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

HDM Serif DisplayBPoppinseditorial→

A classic contrast: DM Serif Display's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while Poppins'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.

HDM Serif DisplayBNunito Sanseditorial→

A classic contrast: DM Serif Display's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while Nunito Sans'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.

HDM Serif DisplayBManropeeditorial→

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

More pairings with DM Sans

Make something people love

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

HPlayfair DisplayBDM Sanseditorial→

A classic contrast: Playfair Display's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while DM Sans'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.

HFrauncesBDM Sanseditorial→

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

A field guide to good ideas

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

HNewsreaderBDM Sanseditorial→

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

Frequently asked questions

Do DM Serif Display and DM Sans go well together?

A classic contrast: DM Serif Display's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while DM Sans's clean shapes keep body text easy to scan on screens. DM Sans ships in 10 weights, so you can build captions, buttons and emphasis without adding another family.

Which font should be used for headings?

Use DM Serif Display for headings at weight 400, and DM Sans for body text at weight 400. You can swap them in the pairing tool to compare.

Are DM Serif Display and DM Sans free?

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