Playfair Display and Cabin font pairing
Serif headings with a sans serif body.
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 Cabin, while the headline uses Playfair Display. Numbers like 0123456789, punctuation “quotes” — and ampersands & — reveal a lot about how two typefaces get along.
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: Playfair Display's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while Cabin's clean shapes keep body text easy to scan on screens. Cabin stays comfortable at paragraph sizes.
HPlayfair Display
Playfair Display is a free serif typeface designed by Claus Eggers Sørensen, added to Google Fonts in 2011. It comes in 6 weights with matching italics, and is a variable font with a weight axis.
More pairings for Playfair Display →BCabin
Cabin is a free sans serif typeface designed by Impallari Type and Rodrigo Fuenzalida, added to Google Fonts in 2011. It comes in 4 weights with matching italics, and is a variable font with width and weight axes.
More pairings for Cabin →Use this pairing on your website
<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=Playfair+Display:wght@700&family=Cabin:wght@400;700&display=swap" rel="stylesheet">h1, h2, h3 {
font-family: 'Playfair Display', serif;
font-weight: 700;
}
body {
font-family: 'Cabin', sans-serif;
font-weight: 400;
line-height: 1.6;
}More pairings with Playfair Display
Typography sets the tone before a single word is read. A good pairing feels like one voice.
High-contrast Didone headlines over a calm humanist sans — the definitive editorial look.
Typography sets the tone before a single word is read. A good pairing feels like one voice.
A classic contrast: Playfair Display's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while Oswald's clean shapes keep body text easy to scan on screens.
Typography sets the tone before a single word is read. A good pairing feels like one voice.
A classic contrast: Playfair Display's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while DM Sans's clean shapes keep body text easy to scan on screens.
More pairings with Cabin
Typography sets the tone before a single word is read. A good pairing feels like one voice.
A bold connected script for headlines, with Cabin’s humanist clarity underneath.
Typography sets the tone before a single word is read. A good pairing feels like one voice.
A classic contrast: Fraunces's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while Cabin's clean shapes keep body text easy to scan on screens.
Typography sets the tone before a single word is read. A good pairing feels like one voice.
A classic contrast: Roboto Slab's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while Cabin's clean shapes keep body text easy to scan on screens.
Frequently asked questions
Do Playfair Display and Cabin go well together?
A classic contrast: Playfair Display's serifs give headlines an editorial, trustworthy voice while Cabin's clean shapes keep body text easy to scan on screens. Cabin stays comfortable at paragraph sizes.
Which font should be used for headings?
Use Playfair Display for headings at weight 700, and Cabin for body text at weight 400. You can swap them in the pairing tool to compare.
Are Playfair Display and Cabin free?
Yes — both are open-source fonts on Google Fonts and free for personal and commercial use.