Avenir is a clean geometric sans serif by Adrian Frutiger, sold by Linotype. It pairs well with a sturdy serif for long text, such as Lora or Merriweather, or with a high-contrast display serif like Playfair Display for headings. Because Avenir needs a paid licence on the web, a free stand-in such as Nunito Sans helps.
| Goal | Headings | Body text |
|---|---|---|
| Warm, readable shop | Avenir | Lora |
| Magazine or blog | Playfair Display | Avenir |
| Long articles | Avenir | Merriweather |
| Minimal brand | Avenir Bold | Avenir Regular |
| Bookish, calm | Avenir | Source Serif 4 |
Updated
Avenir rarely needs a second sans serif beside it; it already does the plain, modern job. The pairings that work give it a contrast in shape, usually a serif, and keep sizes and weights doing the rest. Try each recipe below with a free stand-in, then copy the CSS.
Pick a recipe and a free stand-in. If your device has Avenir installed you see Avenir; otherwise you see the stand-in, exactly as many of your visitors would.
Recipe: Avenir headings, Lora body, Playfair Display headings, Avenir body, Avenir headings, Merriweather body, Avenir for everything, two weights, Avenir headings, Source Serif 4 body
Free stand-in for Avenir: Nunito Sans, Mulish, Figtree
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The preview loads the free fonts from Google Fonts in your browser. Avenir itself is never downloaded here.
All three are on Google Fonts under the SIL Open Font License. The comparison notes are our own judgement from setting them side by side.
| Font | Designers (from Google Fonts) | How it compares |
|---|---|---|
| Nunito Sans | Vernon Adams, Jacques Le Bailly, Manvel Shmavonyan, Alexei Vanyashin | Closest overall feel; slightly softer ends |
| Mulish | Vernon Adams, Cyreal, Jacques Le Bailly | Lighter and more minimal; good for small text |
| Figtree | Erik Kennedy | A touch friendlier and wider; strong in bold headings |
Avenir is used where the device has it; everyone else gets Nunito Sans, loaded free from Google Fonts.
<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Nunito+Sans:wght@400;700&family=Lora:wght@400;700&display=swap">
<style>
h1 { font-family: "Avenir Next", Avenir, "Nunito Sans", sans-serif; font-weight: 700; font-size: 28px; margin: 0 0 8px; }
p { font-family: "Lora", Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0; }
</style>
<h1>Fresh flowers, delivered daily</h1>
<p>Order by noon for same-day delivery across the city.</p>Frutiger set out to reinterpret the geometric sans serifs of the early 20th century with a more human touch, according to the family description on fonts.com. The result has round letters but softer joins than a strict geometric face.
That calm, even texture is why it rarely fights with a partner. The partner only needs enough difference to show a deliberate choice: serifs, more stroke contrast, or a heavier weight.
Avenir Next is the expanded family Akira Kobayashi developed with Frutiger, running from UltraLight to Heavy with condensed widths. A font stack can name both, and the browser uses the first one available.
A stack only uses fonts that are installed or that you serve. If you have not licensed Avenir as a web font, most visitors will see your stand-in, so choose it with care.
Adrian Frutiger designed it. Linotype publishes the family, and the Linotype font library is owned by Monotype, which holds the Avenir trademark.
No. Avenir is a commercial font. Its sellers offer separate licences for desktop, web fonts, apps and other uses, so buy the web font licence if you want to serve it from your site.
There is no exact free copy. Nunito Sans, Mulish and Figtree on Google Fonts share its clean, rounded geometric feel and are released under the SIL Open Font License. Which is closest is a matter of eye; compare them in the preview.
Sturdy text serifs with open shapes, such as Lora, Merriweather and Source Serif 4, sit well beside it. For big headlines, a high-contrast serif like Playfair Display gives more drama.
Linotype's own page notes it on signage at Dallas Fort Worth and Hong Kong international airports, and says Amsterdam adopted it as its corporate typeface in 2003.
Related: Font pairing tool, Best fonts for websites, Web font loading, High contrast color palettes.
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