Young Serif

serif · Designed by Bastien Sozeau

Young Serif: Jackdaws love my big sphinx of quartz

Available weights

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Snippet updates automatically to match whichever weight you select above.

Get this font on Google Fonts

What do I do with this?

Just want to use the font? Click "Get this font on Google Fonts" to download it or add it directly to a document, design tool (like Canva or Photoshop), or your computer's font list.

Building a website? Click "Copy Font Code" to copy a short snippet, then paste it into your website's HTML (usually inside the <head> section) to use this font on your site.

Young Serif is a sturdy, high-contrast serif with thick strokes and pronounced serifs that give it a confident, grounded presence on the page. It draws from classical typeface traditions but with a slightly condensed, punchy quality that makes it feel contemporary rather than dusty. The letterforms are well-defined and readable at larger sizes, with enough visual weight to command attention without becoming aggressive. It sits somewhere between editorial and display, making it versatile for contexts where you want substance and legibility at the same time.

This font works well as a headline typeface for editorial or magazine-style websites where you need strong section headers with clear hierarchy. It suits branding for food, lifestyle, or craft-oriented businesses that want a traditional feel without looking old-fashioned. It also performs effectively in book covers or print-adjacent digital contexts like landing pages for independent publishers or literary journals where the serif tradition carries meaning and credibility.

Best suited for: Young Serif works well for editorial headlines, magazine section headers, book covers, and branding contexts where traditional serif credibility pairs with contemporary visual impact.

Design considerations: The single regular weight limits typographic hierarchy options, making it most effective as a display or headline choice rather than body text. Its high contrast and pronounced serifs recommend larger point sizes where letterform definition and visual presence can be fully appreciated.

Pairing guidance: Pair Young Serif with Playfair Display for layered serif-based editorial layouts where both fonts command attention at different scales, Lato as a neutral sans-serif counterpart for body copy or secondary information, or Caveat to introduce handwritten warmth and personality alongside the serif's formal structure.

Pairs well with

Playfair Display Lato Caveat

Young Serif at a glance

Designer

Bastien Sozeau

License

SIL Open Font License 1.1

Added to Google Fonts

September 2023

Last updated

May 2025

Styles

1 (1 weight)

Classification

Serif

Character sets

2

Distributed via

Google Fonts

Young Serif styles

Weight Name Upright
400 Regular Aa Bb Gg 123

Young Serif character map

Uppercase

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Lowercase

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Numbers and punctuation

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ! ? & @ # % $ € £ ( ) [ ] { } . , : ; " ' - / * + =

Latin Extended (sample)

Ā Ă Ą Ć Č Ď Đ Ē Ę Ě Ğ Ī Į İ Ĺ Ľ Ł Ń Ň Ő Œ Ř Ś Ş Š Ť Ů Ű Ź Ż Ž

Which languages does Young Serif support?

Young Serif includes 2 character sets:

  • Latin: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and other Western European languages
  • Latin Extended: Central and Eastern European languages such as Polish, Czech, Turkish, Romanian and Hungarian

It does not include Cyrillic or Greek characters, so it can't set Russian, Ukrainian or Greek text.

Can I use Young Serif commercially?

Yes, it's free for personal and commercial use. Young Serif is released under the SIL Open Font License 1.1. You can use it in logos, websites, apps, videos, printed products and merchandise without paying or asking permission. The one thing you can't do is sell the font file on its own.

Fonts similar to Young Serif

Young Serif FAQ

Is Young Serif free for commercial use?

Yes. Young Serif is licensed under the SIL Open Font License 1.1, so you can use it in commercial projects, including logos, client work and products you sell.

Which weights does Young Serif include?

Young Serif comes in a single weight, Regular (400), with no italic style.

Does Young Serif support Cyrillic?

No. Young Serif supports Latin and Latin Extended, but not Cyrillic.

Who designed Young Serif?

Young Serif was designed by Bastien Sozeau. It was added to Google Fonts in September 2023.