editorial

Merriweather and Outfit 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 Outfit, 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 Outfit's clean shapes keep body text easy to scan on screens. Outfit 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 →

BOutfit

Outfit is a free sans serif typeface designed by Smartsheet Inc and Rodrigo Fuenzalida, added to Google Fonts in 2021. It comes in 9 weights, and is a variable font with a weight axis.

More pairings for Outfit →

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

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

More pairings with Merriweather

More pairings with Outfit

Built for the long run

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

HSource Serif 4BOutfiteditorial→

A classic contrast: Source Serif 4's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while Outfit'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.

HBitterBOutfiteditorial→

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

Frequently asked questions

Do Merriweather and Outfit go well together?

A classic contrast: Merriweather's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while Outfit's clean shapes keep body text easy to scan on screens. Outfit 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 Outfit for body text at weight 400. You can swap them in the pairing tool to compare.

Are Merriweather and Outfit free?

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