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Humanist sans-serif fonts for readable text

Sans-serif families with open, pen-influenced letterforms that stay comfortable in paragraphs, documents and interface text.

17 open-license familiesUpdated

Read me easily

Set in Open Sans. Select “Show it here” on any font below to set this line in it.

A humanist sans keeps the skeleton of old-style roman type and takes away the serifs. Underneath it you can still sense the broad-nib pen: strokes vary a little in thickness, curves swell and taper, and the italic is usually a real cursive with its own shapes instead of a slanted roman. The result is a sans-serif that stays comfortable in running text.

You can identify the style by its openness. Look at the letters c, e, s and a. In a humanist design their ends stop short and point outwards, leaving wide gaps, so each letter keeps its own outline even when small or blurred. Proportions vary too: the round letters are wide and the e and s narrower, as in a classical alphabet, which gives words more distinctive shapes than the uniform widths of a geometric or grotesque face.

These families are the dependable choice for websites with a lot of text, for documents, forms and public information, and wherever text has to work for many kinds of reader. Many were commissioned for exactly such uses, and several cover Cyrillic and Greek in the same design, as the notes below record.

  1. Open Sans

    Wide openings, an upright axis and a tall lowercase with two-story a and g; six weights with italics, with Cyrillic, Greek and Hebrew.

    Sans Serif 12 styles · variable OFL Try Open Sans

  2. Source Sans 3

    Slender letters with open a, c, e and s and a lowercase of medium height, drawn for interfaces; eight weights with italics, Cyrillic and Greek.

    Sans Serif 16 styles · variable OFL Try Source Sans 3

  3. PT Sans

    Russian sans-serif models reworked with humanist traits, seen in the open curves of a, c, e and s; Regular and Bold with italics, Latin and Cyrillic.

    Sans Serif 4 styles OFL Try PT Sans

  4. Fira Sans

    Open apertures in a, c, e and s, a tall lowercase and angled stroke endings; nine weights with italics, with Cyrillic and Greek.

    Sans Serif 18 styles OFL Try Fira Sans

  5. Lato

    Capitals on classical proportions and slightly rounded stroke ends that warm a firm structure; five weights from Thin to Black with italics.

    Sans Serif 10 styles OFL Try Lato

  6. Noto Sans

    Open letter shapes and a tall lowercase carried across Latin, Cyrillic and Greek in one design; nine weights with italics and a width axis.

    Sans Serif 18 styles · variable OFL Try Noto Sans

  8. Alegreya Sans

    Strokes that thicken and thin slightly and end in angled, pen-like cuts, with old-style figures; seven weights with italics.

    Sans Serif 14 styles OFL Try Alegreya Sans

  9. Proza Libre

    Strokes flare slightly toward their ends and keep a calligraphic stress in the heavier weights, with open apertures; five weights with italics.

    Sans Serif 10 styles OFL Try Proza Libre

  10. Rosario

    The proportions of a classical roman with slight stroke contrast and old-style figures, close to a serif text face without its serifs; five weights with italics.

    Sans Serif 10 styles · variable OFL Try Rosario

  11. Ysabeau Office

    Letter shapes of the Garamond tradition in a low-contrast sans: a modest lowercase, long ascenders and a wide round O; nine weights with italics, Cyrillic and Greek.

    Sans Serif 18 styles · variable OFL Try Ysabeau Office

  12. Merriweather Sans

    Open forms, a large x-height and a mild diagonal stress, drawn for comfortable reading at very small sizes; six weights with italics.

    Sans Serif 12 styles · variable OFL Try Merriweather Sans

  13. Radio Canada

    Angled stroke endings, gentle curves and a tall lowercase, drawn for a public broadcaster with continuous text in mind; five weights with italics and a width axis.

    Sans Serif 10 styles · variable OFL Try Radio Canada

  14. Inria Sans

    Slightly narrow letters with a little stroke modulation and angled terminals, and an italic for each of its three weights.

    Sans Serif 6 styles OFL Try Inria Sans

  15. Libertinus Sans

    Built on book-serif proportions with visibly modulated strokes and slightly flared terminals; Regular and Bold with one italic, plus Greek, Cyrillic and Hebrew.

    Sans Serif 3 styles OFL Try Libertinus Sans

  16. Cantarell

    Wide, loosely spaced letters with open a, c, e and s, developed for reading on screen; Regular and Bold with italics.

    Sans Serif 4 styles OFL Try Cantarell

  17. Quattrocento Sans

    Broad round letters, open apertures and slight stroke modulation, meant for small body text; Regular and Bold with italics.

    Sans Serif 4 styles OFL Try Quattrocento Sans

  18. Ubuntu

    Stems that bend into the curve without a spur give rounded, open letters; four weights with italics, Cyrillic and Greek, under the Ubuntu Font License.

    Sans Serif 8 styles UFL Try Ubuntu

Samples load a basic Latin subset of each family. Every family here carries an open license; its page states the terms and offers the original files.

Questions about humanist sans-serif fonts for readable text

What makes a sans-serif humanist?

Proportions and stroke movement taken from handwriting and old-style type: open apertures, slight stroke contrast and a true cursive italic. Geometric and grotesque designs are more uniform.

Is a humanist sans better than a serif for long text on screens?

Both work. A humanist sans tends to render cleanly at small sizes and on low-density screens, while a serif can give a more bookish tone. Size and line length matter more than the category.

Can I embed these fonts in documents and websites?

Yes. All but one are under the SIL Open Font License, which allows embedding in PDFs, apps and websites, including commercial ones. Ubuntu has its own license with similar permissions; it asks that a substantially modified version be renamed.