Serif vs sans serif: how to choose the right typeface

Serif vs sans serif is a choice of voice more than of readability. Serif typefaces have small finishing strokes, called serifs, at the ends of their letters; sans serif typefaces (sans is French for without) don't. Neither is reliably easier to read. Choose by what the type needs to say, where it will be read and at what size, and remember you can use both.

What the difference actually is

Look at the ends of the strokes in a capital T or a lowercase i. In a serif typeface, each stroke finishes with a small foot or bracket. In a sans serif, it simply stops. Serif faces also often have more contrast between thick and thin strokes, while many sans serifs have strokes of nearly even thickness. Each side is a family of styles, not one look.

A very short history

Serif letters go back to Roman capitals and centuries of printing, which is why serifs still carry a sense of tradition and books. Sans serif typefaces for printing appeared in the early nineteenth century and were first used mainly for posters and display. In the twentieth century, modernist and Swiss designers made sans serifs the voice of clarity and neutrality. On early computer screens, with few pixels per letter, fine serifs broke up, so sans serifs became the default for interfaces, and faces like Verdana and Georgia were drawn specifically to work on those screens.

Readability: the myth and what matters instead

You will still read that serifs are easier to read in print because they guide the eye along the line, and that sans serifs are easier on screens. Neither holds as a general rule. The screen advice was about low resolution; today's high-density phone and laptop screens render serifs cleanly. What actually makes text readable is the design of the particular typeface and how it's set.

Size and spacing are the biggest levers, and they apply to both styles equally. Typography basics gives sensible defaults for each.

What serifs and sans serifs tend to signal

Type carries associations, learned from where we have seen it before. They are tendencies, not rules, and a specific typeface can push against its category: a playful serif or a formal sans is entirely possible.

Serif or sans serif for screens, print and social

On phones, the thin parts of high-contrast serifs can disappear at small sizes. Fonts for social media covers what holds up.

How to choose for your brand

1. 1

   Name the voice

   Write three words for how your brand should sound, such as calm, precise, warm. Brand personality helps.

2. 2

   Shortlist by category, not style

   Warm and literary points to old-style serifs or humanist sans; precise and modern to neo-grotesques or transitional serifs.

3. 3

   Test your real words

   Set your name, a headline and a paragraph in three candidates, at real sizes.

4. 4

   Check the practical side

   Weights, italics, the languages you need and the licence.

5. 5

   Consider using both

   A serif for headlines and a sans for body, or the reverse, gives you range. Font pairing shows how.

On the web, you can also rely on the fonts already on people's devices. These stacks give you a good serif or sans serif with no download:

.serif {
  font-family: ui-serif, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;
}

.sans {
  font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;
}

For the wider decision, including licensing and languages, read brand fonts.