editorial

EB Garamond and M PLUS 1p 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 M PLUS 1p, 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 M PLUS 1p's clean shapes keep body text easy to scan on screens. M PLUS 1p ships in 7 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 →

BM PLUS 1p

M PLUS 1p is a free sans serif typeface designed by Coji Morishita and M+ Fonts Project, added to Google Fonts in 2017. It comes in 7 weights.

More pairings for M PLUS 1p →

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=M+PLUS+1p:wght@400;700&display=swap" rel="stylesheet">
CSS
h1, h2, h3 {
  font-family: 'EB Garamond', serif;
  font-weight: 700;
}

body {
  font-family: 'M PLUS 1p', 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 M PLUS 1p

A field guide to good ideas

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

HCrimson TextBM PLUS 1peditorial→

A classic contrast: Crimson Text's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while M PLUS 1p's clean shapes keep body text easy to scan on screens.

Stories worth reading slowly

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

HLibre BaskervilleBM PLUS 1peditorial→

A classic contrast: Libre Baskerville's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while M PLUS 1p'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.

HM PLUS 1pBLoramoderneditorial→

A modern twist on the classic: M PLUS 1p keeps headings crisp and contemporary, while Lora's serifs guide the eye along longer lines of text.

Frequently asked questions

Do EB Garamond and M PLUS 1p go well together?

A classic contrast: EB Garamond's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while M PLUS 1p's clean shapes keep body text easy to scan on screens. M PLUS 1p ships in 7 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 M PLUS 1p for body text at weight 400. You can swap them in the pairing tool to compare.

Are EB Garamond and M PLUS 1p free?

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