Typography for Founders Who Hate Fonts

Typography feels mysterious. Kerning. Leading. X-height. Words that mean nothing to people who just want their product to look good.

Here's the shortcut.

The Three-Font System

You need exactly three fonts.

1. Headlines: A confident serif or display font 2. Body: A readable sans-serif 3. Labels/UI: A monospace font

That's it. Three fonts. Apply them consistently. You're done.

"The three-font system solves 90% of typography decisions. Headlines set personality. Body enables reading. Mono creates precision."

This isn't arbitrary. It's the pattern behind almost every well-designed product.

Linear uses Inter for body, with a custom display font for marketing. Plus mono for code and UI elements.

Notion uses their custom serif for headlines, a clean sans for body, and mono for dates and metadata.

Stripe uses a custom display serif for marketing, a readable sans for documentation body, and precise mono for code.

Three fonts. Applied consistently. That's the pattern.

Why Three Fonts

One font is too monotonous. It works for minimal brands, but most products need hierarchy.

Two fonts create tension between display and body. Good, but missing the utility layer.

Three fonts give you hierarchy (headline vs body) plus a utility layer (mono for code, labels, data). This combination works for almost every product.

Four or more fonts create chaos. The more fonts, the more decisions. The more decisions, the more inconsistency.

Oliver Reichenstein, founder of iA and creator of iA Writer, wrote in his famous essay Web Design is 95% Typography: "Most web design is typography. Get that right and everything else follows."

Three fonts is enough to get typography right.

Choosing Your Three

Headlines

Pick a font with personality. This is where you express your archetype.

Editorial personalities (Sage, Creator): Serifs like Caudex, Fraunces, Lora, or Playfair Display feel considered and intellectual.

Modern personalities (Hero, Explorer): Display sans like Cabinet Grotesk, General Sans, or Space Grotesk feel contemporary and confident.

Warm personalities (Caregiver, Everyman): Rounded sans like Nunito or Poppins feel approachable without being childish.

"Your headline font is your personality. Choose intentionally."

Body

Pick for readability above all. This is where users spend most of their time.

Good options: Poppins, DM Sans, Source Sans, IBM Plex Sans.

Avoid Inter. It's the default, and defaults signal "I didn't decide." 95% of developer tools use Inter, which makes it invisible.

Labels/UI

Monospace fonts signal precision and technical competence.

Good options: JetBrains Mono, Fira Code, IBM Plex Mono, Source Code Pro.

Mono works for: code snippets, form labels, metadata, timestamps, status indicators, navigation items.

The Lock Rule

Once you pick your three fonts, lock them. Document them. Never deviate.

No "just this once." No "this section feels different."

"The constraint creates the coherence. Every exception weakens the brand."

Stripe's brand guidelines specify their fonts down to the weight and tracking. New designers don't make font choices. They apply the locked decisions.

Your guidelines should be equally specific.

Weight Matters More Than You Think

Fonts have personality, but weight controls tone.

- Light weights (300): Delicate, premium, minimal - Regular weights (400): Standard, readable, neutral - Medium weights (500): Confident, grounded, assertive - Bold weights (700+): Aggressive, attention-grabbing, urgent

A headline at bold weight reads differently than the same headline at regular weight.

Notion primarily uses medium weights. The result feels confident but not aggressive. Linear uses lighter weights for most text, creating a sense of precision and focus.

Be intentional about weight, not just font.

The Magazine-Meets-Terminal Aesthetic

Vox Animus uses: - Caudex for headlines (serif, editorial authority) - Poppins for body (warm, readable sans) - JetBrains Mono for labels and UI (technical precision)

This combination creates what we call "magazine meets terminal." Editorial confidence paired with technical precision.

The three-font system isn't a limitation. It's a framework that frees you from endless decisions.

Pick three. Lock them. Move on.

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Ready to lock your typography? Try the Vox Animus demo to build your visual direction.