playful · friendly

Permanent Marker and Ubuntu font pairing

Handwriting headings with a sans serif body.

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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 Ubuntu, while the headline uses Permanent Marker. 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

Permanent Marker adds a human, hand-made touch to short headlines and accents; Ubuntu keeps everything else clear and legible. Ubuntu stays comfortable at paragraph sizes.

HPermanent Marker

Permanent Marker is a free handwriting typeface designed by Font Diner, added to Google Fonts in 2011. It comes in 1 weight.

More pairings for Permanent Marker →

BUbuntu

Ubuntu is a free sans serif typeface designed by Dalton Maag, added to Google Fonts in 2010. It comes in 4 weights with matching italics.

More pairings for Ubuntu →

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

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

More pairings with Permanent Marker

Design is how it works

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

HPermanent MarkerBRobotoplayfulfriendly→

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

Make something people love

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

HPermanent MarkerBManropeplayfulfriendly→

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

Ideas that travel well

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

HPermanent MarkerBPromptplayfulfriendly→

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

More pairings with Ubuntu

Where craft meets code

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

HRoboto SlabBUbuntufriendly→

A classic contrast: Roboto Slab's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while Ubuntu'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.

HPT SerifBUbuntueditorial→

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

Good things take time

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

HLoraBUbuntueditorial→

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

Frequently asked questions

Do Permanent Marker and Ubuntu go well together?

Permanent Marker adds a human, hand-made touch to short headlines and accents; Ubuntu keeps everything else clear and legible. Ubuntu stays comfortable at paragraph sizes.

Which font should be used for headings?

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

Are Permanent Marker and Ubuntu free?

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