This or That: Serif or Sans-Serif?

Welcome to This or That, a series born out of my love for how a design element can be completely wrong for one project but absolutely right for another. In each installment, I’ll compare two similar design choices and share my appreciation for both. Good design is rarely about picking a favorite. It’s about understanding what works, when it works, and why.

Image via Adobe.com

This Week: Serif or Sans-Serif?

Serif and sans-serif fonts are the two main categories of typefaces. Serif fonts have small decorative strokes (called serifs) at the ends of their letterforms. Sans-serif fonts, as the name implies, do not have those strokes, giving them a cleaner and more modern look.

But choosing type isn’t just about visual style. It’s a subtle way to communicate tone, audience, and intent. Font choice can indicate genre, reflect a company’s attitude or history, or signal who the message is meant for. That’s a lot of meaning packed into a few letterforms.

Serif: Classic, Elegant, Trustworthy

Serif closed sign. Photo via Tim Mossholder

Serif fonts are often associated with tradition, literature, and professionalism. Think Garamond, Georgia, or Times New Roman. Those small strokes help guide the eye across the page and make letterforms easier to distinguish, especially at smaller sizes. That’s why serif fonts are often used in books and long-form reading.

Use it when:

• You want a sense of history or formality

• You’re designing for print

• You need better legibility at small sizes

• You want to convey trust, tradition, or authority

Sans-Serif: Modern, Clean, Minimal

Sans serif neon sign. Photo by Tim Mossholder

Sans-serif fonts are crisp and direct, with roots in modernist design. When they first appeared, they were sometimes called “grotesque” because they looked too clean, too simple. But when Bauhaus and other modernist movements embraced them, sans-serifs became symbols of progress and breaking from tradition. Think Helvetica, Futura, Inter, or Arial.

They are highly legible on screens and work especially well when horizontal space is limited. Their minimal forms allow them to maintain visual clarity at thin weights and small sizes.

Use it when:

• You’re designing for digital or mobile

• You want a clean, modern aesthetic

• You have limited space for text

• You’re aiming for accessibility and simplicity

What About Combining Them?

One useful approach is to pair serif and sans-serif fonts together. For example, using a serif for body text and a sans-serif for headlines creates contrast and hierarchy. Or flip it. A bold serif heading with a clean sans body can add personality and rhythm. Pairing fonts well can guide the reader and elevate the tone.

It’s not always necessary, but when done thoughtfully, it can create strong structure and flow.

Typography is less about hard rules and more about choosing what best serves the content. The more you understand the history and personality of these typefaces, the better you can use them to support your message.

To continue the font journey, check out dafont.com for some amazing free fonts (for personal use).