editorial

Merriweather and Jost font pairing

Serif headings with a sans serif body.

Background
Issue 07 · Field notes
The future of small business

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

HMerriweather

Merriweather is a free serif typeface designed by Sorkin Type, added to Google Fonts in 2011. It comes in 7 weights with matching italics, and is a variable font with optical size, width and weight axes.

More pairings for Merriweather →

BJost

Jost is a free sans serif typeface designed by Owen Earl, added to Google Fonts in 2020. It comes in 9 weights with matching italics, and is a variable font with a weight axis.

More pairings for Jost →

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

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

More pairings with Merriweather

More pairings with Jost

Ideas that travel well

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

HBitterBJosteditorial→

A classic contrast: Bitter's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while Jost'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.

HEB GaramondBJosteditorial→

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

Frequently asked questions

Do Merriweather and Jost go well together?

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

Which font should be used for headings?

Use Merriweather for headings at weight 700, and Jost for body text at weight 400. You can swap them in the pairing tool to compare.

Are Merriweather and Jost free?

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