Beautiful Web Type
In October 2018 I released a completely re-thought and re-designed version of this project. The new version aims to provide a complete look at each typeface, cataloging all the available weights and styles, the full glyph set, the kerning quality, OpenType features, recommended pairings and more. I will highlight only typefaces that show a high level of quality.
The original version of the site is archived here: https://beautifulwebtype.com/v1/
Changelog
20 Mar 2026
- Removed Jost, as the creator now charges for the variable font.
06 Jun 2025
05 Jun 2025
- Added Instrument Sans.
- Added Instrument Serif.
23 Oct 2023
8 Apr 2023
- Updated Source Code Pro to version 1.024.
22 Nov 2020
- Added Fraunces.
- Added pairing example for Fraunces and Libre Franklin.
- Added pairing example for Messapia and Inter.
Read full Changelog
Featured typefaces
All typefaces are licensed under the SIL Open Font License.
- Alegreya → Glyph inspector
- Alegreya Sans → Glyph inspector
- Archivo → Glyph inspector
- Archivo Black → Glyph inspector
- BioRhyme → Glyph inspector
- BioRhyme Expanded → Glyph inspector
- Commissioner → Glyph inspector
- Cooper Hewitt → Glyph inspector
- Crimson Pro → Glyph inspector
- Fira Code → Glyph inspector
- FiraGo → Glyph inspector
- Fivo Sans → Glyph inspector
- Fivo Sans Modern → Glyph inspector
- Fraunces → Glyph inspector
- iA Writer Quattro → Glyph inspector
- IBM Plex Mono → Glyph inspector
- IBM Plex Sans → Glyph inspector
- IBM Plex Sans Condensed → Glyph inspector
- IBM Plex Serif → Glyph inspector
- Inria Sans → Glyph inspector
- Inria Serif → Glyph inspector
- Instrument Sans → Glyph inspector
- Instrument Serif → Glyph inspector
- Inter → Glyph inspector
- Le Murmure → Glyph inspector
- Libre Franklin → Glyph inspector
- Lora → Glyph inspector
- Messapia → Glyph inspector
- Oswald → Glyph inspector
- Playfair Display → Glyph inspector
- Poppins → Glyph inspector
- Rakkas → Glyph inspector
- Source Code Pro → Glyph inspector
- Source Sans Pro → Glyph inspector
- Source Serif Pro → Glyph inspector
- Space Grotesk → Glyph inspector
- Space Mono → Glyph inspector
- TASA Orbiter → Glyph inspector
- Vollkorn → Glyph inspector
- Work Sans → Glyph inspector
- Zilla Slab → Glyph inspector
Suggesting Typefaces
I'm happy to receive suggestions for typefaces via a GitHub issue. When sending suggestions please include an example or two of the typeface in use. This helps me to make an initial evaluation of the typeface.
Local development
Install dependencies and start the Next.js dev server:
pnpm install
pnpm dev
Useful commands:
pnpm build
pnpm test
Content authoring
The site's authored content lives in content/.
Add a typeface
Create content/typefaces/<slug>/ with:
meta.ymldetail.htmlsample.htmlglyphs.yml
meta.yml holds the typeface metadata used by the app, including name, dateAdded, category, styles, weights, latestRelease, projectUrl, creator, description, and optional fields like gFontsUrl, italic, smallcap, sampleText, sampleClasses, familyFaces, and comparisonFaces.
detail.html is the trusted HTML fragment rendered on the typeface detail page.
sample.html is retained as authored specimen source content. Listing cards and the top specimen on detail pages use shared specimen copy from content/site/text.yml, unless a typeface overrides it with sampleText in meta.yml.
sampleClasses can be used for per-typeface Tailwind overrides on the specimen stage. Quote the string when using responsive variants or arbitrary properties, for example:
sampleText: "Sharp & Quiet"
sampleClasses: "[--sample-fit-width:0.78] tracking-tight text-[#b42318] md:[--sample-fit-width:0.82]"
For OpenType features, use Tailwind arbitrary properties rather than font-features-*. For example, small caps should be:
sampleClasses: "[font-feature-settings:'smcp']"
glyphs.yml must include:
fontFile: /assets/fonts/example/example.woff
Add a pairing
Create content/pairings/<slug>/ with:
meta.yml must include name, dateAdded, typefaces, and optional sampleShade.
sample.html is the trusted HTML fragment rendered on pairing cards.
Shared site text
content/site/text.yml holds the shared specimen copy plus the reusable words, headlines, and paragraphs arrays used across specimen pages.
