8 Modern, Minimalist Font Pairings for Squarespace
If you want your website to have a modern, minimalist feel, you probably want to go with sans serif fonts. (You know, the ones without the decorative tails on the end.)
Serif Fonts are generally more traditional, formal, timeless, elegant or sophisticated
Sans Serif fonts are generally more modern, casual, minimal, neutral, or friendly.
I say “generally” because there are sub-categories within these broad categories and a font can have multiple personalities (just like people are not always just one thing!)
My personal preference for a modern, minimalist vibe is to go with a sans serifs for both header and paragraph fonts.
The safest approach for a double sans serif is to use the SAME font for headings and paragraphs so you KNOW they will match. (Font pairing can be tricky business.) If you go this route, you can make the headings all caps or use a heavier weight to give more visual contrast between the headings and the paragraphs.
A lot of design advice says NOT to pair two different sans serifs together (because font pairing can be tricky business), but I am a rebel and I love a good sans serif font pair!
Below are my 8 favorite modern, minimalist font pairings for a simple, clean, modern website. Most are sans serif pairs, but I threw in a couple of pairs with serif headings that still lean modern and are a bit more formal.
Cabin / Figtree
I love this font pair so much, I use it on my own website! Figtree is a newish Google font that is clean, simple, and friendly. It was designed by Erik Kennedy who taught me everything I know about fonts! Cabin headlines give the pair a little bit of quirk and personality but the vibe is still simple and modern.
DM Sans / DM Sans
I like to pair DM Sans in all caps for headers with itself in sentence case for paragraphs. I love the modern vibe in all caps and keeping it simple with one font across the whole website. This pair is the epitome of modern, clean, and simple!
Montserrat / Karla
Montserrat is probably the most awesome font of all time. Ask any designer and they will likely agree. Sure. people use it a lot but that’s because it’s amazing. I like to pair it with Karla which is a little more quirky and friendly for paragraphs.
Poppins / Rubik
Poppins is another modern font that is used a lot on the web, but I love it. (And it makes me think of Mary Poppins which is fun!) It’s clean and legible and can work for lots of different types of businesses. Rubik has a friendly vibe that matches Poppins but has more squared-off letters to give it some contrast.
Oswald / Public Sans
I am a huge fan of Oswald, always in ALL CAPS. It’s a subtly take-charge font with modern, clean lines. Public Sans is a high-quality, neutral sans serif that lets Oswald shine.
Nunito / Nunito Sans
Very round fonts, like Nunito work best for a youthful, casual brand/business (and it’s not quite so subtle). Nunito sans was made to pair with Nunito so it’s a great choice that’s slightly less round so your website won’t be OVERLY bubbly.
Source Serif Pro / Source Sans Pro
Source Serif Pro is a traditional serif font but is has a slightly more modern vibe than other serifs so I give it a pass. I like it with its matching Source Sans Pro to round out the pair. (It’s always a safe bet to pair a serif and a sans serif font from the same font family.)
Merriweather / Merriweather Sans
Merriweather is also a less pretentious serif font, which is probably why I like it! It’s kind of chunky and cute while still being sort of formal. It also has a matching sans serif, and they look great together (as they are designed to do)!
The Net-Net
Sans serifs are (usually) my fonts of choice for a modern, minimalist website, but serifs are not totally out of the question! Sometimes your business/brand is both modern AND formal so you want to give off a mixed vibe. Hopefully, something on this list will work for you and your website.
If not, I have 12 more of my favorite Squarespace font pairings in my 20 Great Squarespace Font Pairings Guide. The guide is organized by business personality type to help you quickly narrow down the right fonts for your business website. The guide also indicates which fonts are available in Canva to make your designs consistent with your website. Sign up below to get the guide!
