playful · friendly

Kalam and Montserrat font pairing

Handwriting headings with a sans serif body.

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Issue 07 · Field notes
Built for the long run

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 Montserrat, while the headline uses Kalam. 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

Kalam adds a human, hand-made touch to short headlines and accents; Montserrat keeps everything else clear and legible. Montserrat ships in 9 weights, so you can build captions, buttons and emphasis without adding another family.

HKalam

Kalam is a free handwriting typeface designed by Indian Type Foundry, added to Google Fonts in 2014. It comes in 3 weights.

More pairings for Kalam →

BMontserrat

Montserrat is a free sans serif typeface designed by Julieta Ulanovsky, Sol Matas, Juan Pablo del Peral and Jacques Le Bailly, 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 Montserrat →

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=Kalam:wght@400&family=Montserrat:wght@400;700&display=swap" rel="stylesheet">
CSS
h1, h2, h3 {
  font-family: 'Kalam', cursive;
  font-weight: 400;
}

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

More pairings with Kalam

Everything starts with a sketch

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

HKalamBPoppinsplayfulfriendly→

Kalam adds a human, hand-made touch to short headlines and accents; Poppins keeps everything else clear and legible.

The future of small business

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

HKalamBOutfitplayfulfriendly→

Kalam adds a human, hand-made touch to short headlines and accents; Outfit keeps everything else clear and legible.

A field guide to good ideas

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

HKalamBRoboto Condensedplayfulfriendly→

Kalam adds a human, hand-made touch to short headlines and accents; Roboto Condensed keeps everything else clear and legible.

More pairings with Montserrat

Notes from the studio

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

HBitterBMontserrateditorial→

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

Built for the long run

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

HLibre BaskervilleBMontserrateditorial→

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

Frequently asked questions

Do Kalam and Montserrat go well together?

Kalam adds a human, hand-made touch to short headlines and accents; Montserrat keeps everything else clear and legible. Montserrat ships in 9 weights, so you can build captions, buttons and emphasis without adding another family.

Which font should be used for headings?

Use Kalam for headings at weight 400, and Montserrat for body text at weight 400. You can swap them in the pairing tool to compare.

Are Kalam and Montserrat free?

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