5 Best Free Sans-Serif Fonts for UI Design & Text-Heavy Layouts in 2022
Finding a decent free typeface can be a tall order, even in this age of fonts seemingly coming into existence spontaneously.
Don't get me wrong, there clearly is a metric sexton of beautiful free fonts out there, but here's the thing: looking pretty is not the only condition a typeface has to fulfil to be considered good. Versatility also comes into play, and a typeface that only has one weight and no italics is a pretty limited one.
The reason is simple: when designing user interfaces, or, honestly, any other kind of layout where text is a main feature, dominance and hierarchy comes into play. You need a lot of weights to do your job properly, and if those weights come with matching italics and maybe even a small caps set even better.
In this article, I've collected five typefaces that are on the level of commercial releases, offering a lot of flexibility and beautiful letterforms. I tried to go for less well-known typefaces (so no Roboto, Montserrat or Raleway here) to help you pick fonts that'll stand out.
Let's get going.
Karasuma Gothic
Karasuma Gothic comes in six weights with matching italics. Free for personal and commercial use.
Inter UI
Inter UI comes in nine weights with matching italics. Whoa! Free for personal and commercial use.
Work Sans
Work Sans comes in nine weights with matching italics. The typeface is nice, round and plump and super-cute. Free for personal and commercial use!
League Spartan comes in eight weights but unfortunately it doesn't have matching italics. However, it has a variable font you can have fun with, if you're so inclined. Free for personal and commercial use.
Creato comes in eight weights with matching italics, and it's also free for personal and commercial use.
That's it for now!
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That's it for now! 〰️
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