editorial

Libre Baskerville and Noto Sans Khmer font pairing

Serif headings with a sans serif body.

Background
Issue 07 · Field notes
Make something people love

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 Noto Sans Khmer, 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 Noto Sans Khmer's clean shapes keep body text easy to scan on screens. Noto Sans Khmer ships in 9 weights, so you can build captions, buttons and emphasis without adding another family.

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 →

BNoto Sans Khmer

Noto Sans Khmer is a free sans serif typeface designed by Google, added to Google Fonts in 2020. It comes in 9 weights, and is a variable font with width and weight axes.

More pairings for Noto Sans Khmer →

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

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

More pairings with Libre Baskerville

More pairings with Noto Sans Khmer

A field guide to good ideas

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

HCormorant GaramondBNoto Sans Khmereditorial→

A classic contrast: Cormorant Garamond's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while Noto Sans Khmer'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.

HLoraBNoto Sans Khmereditorial→

A classic contrast: Lora's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while Noto Sans Khmer'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.

HNoto Sans KhmerBNewsreadermoderneditorial→

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

Frequently asked questions

Do Libre Baskerville and Noto Sans Khmer go well together?

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

Which font should be used for headings?

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

Are Libre Baskerville and Noto Sans Khmer free?

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