Readers Respond: Best Ways to Mix and Match Fonts

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Keep it Simple

By keeping it simple in pair fonts you seem to have more clean look in your design. Keep some kind of sketches to see what your are really looking for or trying to say. Keep a list is the best way.

—maxic

Use an iPhone App called Font Combos

In addition to the PDF chart I created mentioned in my previous comment, I created an iPhone app that has all the examples from the PDF plus an additional 2000 combinations. You just swipe in a font for header and one for body. This is probably the fastest way to try things out. It's very easy and fast to see why some combinations work better than others: http://bonfx.com/font-combinations-app

—Guest dbonneville

Use a chart of examples

I keep the PDF chart I developed with 19 combinations based on the 19 most popular fonts handy. It's faster than opening another Illustrator document, or Illustrator at all if I'm another program like Fireworks or Photoshop. On the Mac, the PDF opens in a split second - it's great. I made the PDF available for download here: http://bonfx.com/19-top-fonts-in-19-top-combinations/

—Guest DBonneville

Not Too Cool

If I'm trying to pair up some fonts I'll show a sample of them together to a friend or two who don't know much about fonts. If they can't tell right away that they aren't the same font then I know the two are too much alike. If they start talking about how cool or wicked one of the fonts is then I know that might be good for a headline or some graphics but it's not going to be a goody font for other text. Even after I think I have the right fonts I'll show some early proofs to several friends just to see if they have any bad reactions like if the fonts are too small or something.

—Guest DG

Use Classics and Keep a List

I can spend hours looking at fonts and when I have the time it's a great way to discover cool new fonts. But when I'm in a timecrunch I turn to my big list of fonts. It includes lots of classic fonts like Helvetica or Optima or Baskerville, Times, and Sabon plus fonts I've used and really liked in past projects. Keep a list of classic fonts on hand. Keep a list of past font combinations you've used that seemed to really work. If you run across a good font combo on a Web site or somewhere else, add it to your list. Turn to your list when you need to pick fonts and you don't know where to start.

—Guest LeaG