Semi-Serif Typefaces on Google Fonts
(Updated May 2022 with five new faces; at the top of the list.)
Semi-serif typefaces are the weird mongrels of the type world, often loved or hated. They have neither the classical readability of a serif, nor the modern simplicity of a sans. Yet they offer their own charms, harking back to the past while still moving away from it. Semi-serifs are not mere curiosities meant just for display either: some may be used to set long bodies of text. The most famous is perhaps Hermann Zapf’s Optima, now overused and a bit dated:
The most successful semi-serifs, I think, borrow something from handwriting and add it into the minimized sans body. Thus we have many that don’t call themselves “semi-serif” but rather “humanist sans” or the like. Whatever the name, semi-serifs have a unique feel, and might offer the best of serif and sans serif worlds.
But what semi-serifs are available for free use, on the web? Google Fonts to the rescue — except that its search tool is unfathomably poor, so I have selected twelve semi-serif typefaces that might be appropriate for text.
Details
More on each selection is below, including a specimen and some of my own thoughts. Additions from 2022 are at the top of the list. (The sample text is from William Morris’ The Story of the Glittering Plain, 1891.)
Andika New Basic
SIL International
4 fonts (roman and italic)
Flared terminals are combined with a very large x-height and humanistic counters (look at that lower-case a), and make Andika quite friendly. The italic is also nice, being more than simple a sloped roman.
Farro
Grayscale
4 fonts (4 weights)
Also tall and thin, Farro has a sharper, more squared-off feeling, with letters that fit nearly in their line. This could make longer reading tiring, but is quite orderly.
Harmattan
SIL International
2 fonts (roman and bold)
Another from SIL International, with large x-height.
Kufam
Original Type
12* fonts (variable weight, italic)
This has a very distinct style, hearkening maybe to art deco. Also notable for being variable weight, meaning you have infinite discretion rather than choosing specific weights — which may or may not be wise.
NB: Below lie the older releases, included in the original article.
Asul
By Mariela Monsalves
2 fonts (roman, 2 weights)
The most nearly a serif of this lot, seen easily in the lower cases; yet in the uppers, we have flaring along. Asul has a distinctly medieval feel.
Alegreya Sans + SC
Juan Pablo del Peral
28 fonts (roman and italic, 7 weights, small-caps)
A well-respected workhorse: you can be sure the right attention has been put into all the right places here, with no unpleasant surprises. Alegreya also works as well in print as on the screen. (Neither of these things can be guaranteed with the other typefaces here.)
Galdeano
Dario Manuel Muhafara
1 font
Script-like. Note gaps on the arms of P and R; and diamond tittle in the i and j.
Marcellus + SC
Brian J. Bonislawsky
2 fonts (roman and small-caps)
Stands out as one of the thinner and larger selections, with a delicacy that owes a lot to Optima, I think.
Mirza
KB Studio
4 fonts (roman, 4 weights)
Very caligraphic, and medieval in mood. One of the few with strong stroke contrast (look at the o).
Rosario
Omnibus Type
4 fonts (roman and italic, regular and bold)
A fairly clean typeface, not too far from Ubuntu in the lower-case; but watch out for those tall thin capitals and swash on the Q!
Some Display Semi-Serifs Too
There are a few more semi-serifs hidden away in Google Fonts, but they are more peculiar, and unsuited for laying out long copy — that is, better for headlines and titles, and otherwise in short stretches, at large size.
- Acme
- Cantora One
- Cinzel and Cinzel Decorative (both small-caps only)
- Crushed
- Overlock + SC (I’m not convinced this can be used for text)
- Port Lligat Sans
I hope this list is useful to you. If you have used some of these typefaces, please link to your project in the comments, or give your considered opinion of them.
