editorial

Libre Baskerville and Chakra Petch font pairing

Serif headings with a sans serif body.

Background
Issue 07 · Field notes
Stories worth reading slowly

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 Chakra Petch, while the headline uses Libre Baskerville. 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: Libre Baskerville's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while Chakra Petch's clean shapes keep body text easy to scan on screens. Chakra Petch stays comfortable at paragraph sizes.

HLibre Baskerville

Libre Baskerville is a free serif typeface designed by Impallari Type, added to Google Fonts in 2012. It comes in 4 weights with matching italics, and is a variable font with a weight axis.

More pairings for Libre Baskerville →

BChakra Petch

Chakra Petch is a free sans serif typeface designed by Cadson Demak, added to Google Fonts in 2018. It comes in 5 weights with matching italics.

More pairings for Chakra Petch →

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=Libre+Baskerville:wght@700&family=Chakra+Petch:wght@400;700&display=swap" rel="stylesheet">
CSS
h1, h2, h3 {
  font-family: 'Libre Baskerville', serif;
  font-weight: 700;
}

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

More pairings with Libre Baskerville

More pairings with Chakra Petch

Ideas that travel well

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

HBitterBChakra Petcheditorial→

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

The future of small business

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

HMerriweatherBChakra Petcheditorial→

A classic contrast: Merriweather's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while Chakra Petch'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.

HChakra PetchBRoboto Slabmoderneditorial→

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

Frequently asked questions

Do Libre Baskerville and Chakra Petch go well together?

A classic contrast: Libre Baskerville's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while Chakra Petch's clean shapes keep body text easy to scan on screens. Chakra Petch stays comfortable at paragraph sizes.

Which font should be used for headings?

Use Libre Baskerville for headings at weight 700, and Chakra Petch for body text at weight 400. You can swap them in the pairing tool to compare.

Are Libre Baskerville and Chakra Petch free?

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