editorial

EB Garamond and Fira Sans Condensed font pairing

Serif headings with a sans serif body.

Background
Issue 07 · Field notes
A field guide to good ideas

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

HEB Garamond

EB Garamond is a free serif typeface designed by Georg Duffner and Octavio Pardo, added to Google Fonts in 2011. It comes in 5 weights with matching italics, and is a variable font with a weight axis.

More pairings for EB Garamond →

BFira Sans Condensed

Fira Sans Condensed is a free sans serif typeface designed by Carrois Apostrophe, added to Google Fonts in 2016. It comes in 9 weights with matching italics.

More pairings for Fira Sans Condensed →

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=EB+Garamond:wght@700&family=Fira+Sans+Condensed:wght@400;700&display=swap" rel="stylesheet">
CSS
h1, h2, h3 {
  font-family: 'EB Garamond', serif;
  font-weight: 700;
}

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

More pairings with EB Garamond

Ideas that travel well

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

HEB GaramondBNunito Sanseditorial→

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

Where craft meets code

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

HEB GaramondBLatoeditorial→

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

More pairings with Fira Sans Condensed

Built for the long run

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

HRoboto SlabBFira Sans Condensedfriendly→

A classic contrast: Roboto Slab's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while Fira Sans Condensed'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.

HCormorant GaramondBFira Sans Condensededitorial→

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

The art of saying less

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

HFira Sans CondensedBLoramoderneditorial→

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

Frequently asked questions

Do EB Garamond and Fira Sans Condensed go well together?

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

Which font should be used for headings?

Use EB Garamond for headings at weight 700, and Fira Sans Condensed for body text at weight 400. You can swap them in the pairing tool to compare.

Are EB Garamond and Fira Sans Condensed free?

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