Everywhere we look, from billboards on the tall buildings of our cities to our cereal boxes, the font is one of the first things we notice in any UI design – whether we realize it consciously or not.
Typography has always been discussed in the UI UX design world. And it makes sense! After all, it is considered one of the most essential user interface design elements. In fact, choosing the best fonts is an art – the art of arranging letters and bodies of text to create legible, aesthetically pleasing, and clear copies for the users.
“You can say, ‘I love you,’ in Helvetica. And you can say it with Helvetica Extra Light if you want to be really fancy. Or you can say it with the Extra Bold if it's really intensive and passionate, you know, and it might work.” - Massimo Vignelli, famous Italian designer.
Just like Massimo Viginelli explained, typography represents the tone of our voice. Just like a phrase would have different meanings in different tones, this is the case of fonts in user interface designs as well. So, while typography is an art, it’s also a science. Because you want to convey the intended tone and message, it should also be aesthetically pleasing and fit our brand.
Both of these terms are related to UI design and get mixed up by people who are not very familiar with the field. This confusion stems from the fact that the words tend to be used interchangeably in the UI/UX design world.
The simplest way to understand the difference between these two is that typefaces are collections of fonts. On the other hand, fonts are related to specific styles or weights that are part of a typeface family. Basically, fonts are graphical representations of a text character.
Check out the best free fonts that every UI/UX designer should know about:
1. Roboto
Roboto is a classic neo-grotesque sans-serif font. Designers who are accustomed to Figma should be familiar with this font. Due to its simple design and readability, Roboto is one of the most popular fonts for UI UX designers. Another reason for its great popularity is that it works both for larger bodies of texts as well as for title and heading sequences.
2. Inter
This Google font is arguably the most famous design font and has a distinct look. We do not need to look too far to understand why Inter is so popular - each letter is perfectly symmetrical, ensuring high readability.
3. Lato
If we were to look at the fonts that Figma recommends, we would notice Lato among the first ones. Lato is a humanist sans-serif font representing the Polish word “summer”. Among the central reasons why this font is so popular is that its design makes it compatible with virtually most other fonts.
4. Open Sans
This font is also a humanist sans-serif. However, it is pretty different from the previous one. There is an ongoing controversy regarding whether Open Sans is still relevant, with some UI UX designers considering it a bit outdated. Controversy aside, Open Sans continues to be one of the most frequently used fonts, making it suitable for multiple contexts today.
5. Space Grotesk
This sans-serif neo-grotesque font was designed for Google in 2016. Its nerdy aesthetic suits projects involving tech-related topics. Space Grotesk has been rising in popularity because its style suits large text and bolder headlines.
6. Montserrat
Keeping to the list of fonts that enjoy a high grade of popularity among UI UX designers, Montserrat is a geometric sans-serif type. The name is reflective of its inspiration, which comes from an Argentinian neighborhood of the same name. Designers enjoy this font mainly because it mirrors the modernist style of the early 20th century.
7. Resist Sans
If this font feels oddly familiar, it might be because it is meant to be an updated version of Helvetica. Bold, powerful, and easily recognizable, Resist Sans is a great choice for those eye-catching headlines that push a user interface forward.
8. Great Sailor
This font has become chiefly well-known in the digital design community thanks to Figma. It is a pretty modern font if we look at its aesthetic, which is why we might notice that it has been used more in recent designs. Besides this, Great Sailor matches most of the serif fonts.
9. Woodman
Compared to the fonts we have discussed until this point, Woodman is less famous. However, that does not mean it is not a great font! If you are a UI UX designer looking for a more niche font, this might be the one for you. With its retro feel, it is generally associated with designs that target hipster audiences.
10. Nunito
The last font we will look at comes from Google and is suitable for website and mobile app design. Its appeal comes from its organic and light aesthetic. With a simple design, Nunito is excellent for many user interface designs and contexts.
We at uinkits understand the importance of great user experiences and creating amazing UI designs. That’s why we’ve developed a Figma UI Kit with design components that include these essential UI elements that enable you to design intuitive and user-friendly interfaces effortlessly.
“You press the button, we do the rest.” – Kodak.
Inspired by this iconic tagline from Kodak, we believe in simplifying the design process for you. Our Figma UI Kit, uinkits, is a complete design system with UI components that allows you, as a UI UX designer, to create your products as quickly as pressing a button.
Our design system includes UI components, icons, variables, cards, buttons and everything you need for your design process. All you have to do is take your UI design component needed, and you’re ready to use it in your designs!
