As we promised in the article on the top 5 sans serif Google Fonts, today we will talk about the serif typefaces, in our beloved Google Fonts.
To put this in context, we must begin by explaining that a serif is a small line attached to the end of a stroke in a letter or symbol. As we saw, the best-known serif typeface family is the “Times New Roman”, which has been with us almost from our first computer, and is still present in the press.
Use serif in your publishing projects
We said that sans serif fonts are highly recommended for use in web projects since readability is greater when is read by a screen; with serif typefaces the opposite happens. Thanks to its serifs, this typeface is very readable for use in long texts that are to be printed. The feet of the serifs help guide the eye along the lines of text, so it’s much easier not to get lost or mixed lines.
Most newspapers use serif typefaces in their print edition, but not in the online one. There are a few exceptions as abc.es (they alternate serif / sans serif respectively.) But as we said, readability comes first.
Serif / sans serif Combinations
Something very common that we also do at SiloCreativo in digital projects is to combine both typefaces, introducing serif in titles and sans serif in paragraph text. You can see examples of these combinations on our website and also in this article on font combinations.
Combinations within the same family
However, in this case, as we did with the sans serif typefaces, we will only use serif typefaces combining them in titles and paragraph text. In contrast to the sans serif typefaces, some things should be noted.
In most cases, families are less extensive; although it does not mean that they can be combined perfectly with each other, as we shall see below. We can draw an editorial project with 2 or 3 types within the same family. Keep in mind, as we have repeatedly said, that it is important not to mix too much.
We also note that, although this is not decisive, its use is recommended (in general) in small letters, because depending on the type, the serifs can create the opposite effect, reducing readability. This happens only in some cases, because this same effect can help us to create stunning logos or messages, for example.
ARVO
Although it only has 4 types within the family, they are enough to create font combinations. Moreover, since the “heavy” nature of the bold typeface, it is perfectly usable as title text and even in typographic prints.
ROBOTO SLAB
As in the sans serif Roboto version, it is perfect for use in long texts to be printed. Although its combination with Roboto is perfect, it is also highly recommended to combine with the different types of this family. The “thin” type is too light for use in paragraph text, but we can use it in specific elements within a project.
MERRIWEATHER
This one is the typeface that I bring you with the wider family. With its 8 families we can accomplish complex projects combining them. It is also the lightest one, so its use in web projects is highly recommended.
PLAYFAIR DISPLAY
Although you know my predilection for Roboto and its family, in this case I have to say that this one is my favourite serif typeface. For me, its elegance leaves no doubts and becomes my top 1!
Also, we could say that this is one of the quintessential serif typefaces. It reminds us to “Times New Roman”, but with a much more elegant and unconventional style. Its elegance makes it perfect as text title in web projects and paragraph text in print projects.
DROID SERIF
With a character like Arvo, but with less authority, it is a typeface “catchall”, perfect for use in various fields. Even just having 4 families, these are perfectly combined.
All fonts I bring are Google Fonts and, therefore, are free download; as happened with sans serif, they are fonts with which it is hard to go wrong. They are perfect for use in editorial projects such as magazines, thesis … in which written content is the most important, and other things are relegated to the background.
I already said which one is my favourite, so now it’s up to you; what would you choose?
