playful · friendly

Yellowtail and Figtree font pairing

Handwriting headings with a sans serif body.

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Issue 07 · Field notes
Where craft meets code

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 Figtree, while the headline uses Yellowtail. 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

Yellowtail adds a human, hand-made touch to short headlines and accents; Figtree keeps everything else clear and legible. Figtree ships in 7 weights, so you can build captions, buttons and emphasis without adding another family.

HYellowtail

Yellowtail is a free handwriting typeface designed by Astigmatic, added to Google Fonts in 2011. It comes in 1 weight.

More pairings for Yellowtail →

BFigtree

Figtree is a free sans serif typeface designed by Erik Kennedy, added to Google Fonts in 2022. It comes in 7 weights with matching italics, and is a variable font with a weight axis.

More pairings for Figtree →

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

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

More pairings with Yellowtail

Where craft meets code

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

HYellowtailBRoboto Condensedplayfulfriendly→

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

Notes from the studio

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

HYellowtailBRubikplayfulfriendly→

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

Good things take time

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

HYellowtailBPoppinsplayfulfriendly→

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

More pairings with Figtree

Where craft meets code

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

HBitterBFigtreeeditorial→

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

Stories worth reading slowly

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

HLibre BaskervilleBFigtreeeditorial→

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

A field guide to good ideas

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

HBodoni ModaBFigtreeeditorial→

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

Frequently asked questions

Do Yellowtail and Figtree go well together?

Yellowtail adds a human, hand-made touch to short headlines and accents; Figtree keeps everything else clear and legible. Figtree ships in 7 weights, so you can build captions, buttons and emphasis without adding another family.

Which font should be used for headings?

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

Are Yellowtail and Figtree free?

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