Bona Nova
serif · Designed by Capitalics, Mateusz Machalski, Andrzej Heidrich
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Bona Nova is a classical serif typeface with roots in traditional book typography. It features moderate contrast between thick and thin strokes, slightly bracketed serifs, and a balanced x-height that makes it readable at both display and text sizes. The letterforms are refined without feeling stiff, sitting somewhere between an old-style and transitional serif. It has a quiet authority to it, professional and legible, without drawing unnecessary attention to itself. The overall impression is scholarly and composed, suited to contexts where credibility and readability matter more than novelty.
Bona Nova works well in long-form editorial publishing, particularly for online magazines, literary journals, or digital books where extended reading comfort is a priority. It is also a solid choice for academic or institutional branding, think universities, foundations, or research organizations that want a typographic voice grounded in tradition. A third practical application is as a heading or subheading font in legal, financial, or government-related websites, where the formal serif tone reinforces trustworthiness and professionalism without looking outdated.
Best suited for: Consider Bona Nova for academic papers, professional reports, literary websites, and institutional communications where traditional serif typography signals expertise and careful composition.
Design considerations: The moderate stroke contrast and balanced proportions support comfortable reading in both print-like digital layouts and larger display contexts. Available in regular, italic, and bold weights, it accommodates straightforward typographic hierarchies without requiring extensive variant libraries.
Pairing guidance: Pair Bona Nova's classical serif presence with Cormorant Garamond for refined editorial layouts where both fonts share transitional serif DNA, Source Sans 3 for contemporary contrast between body text and interface elements, or DM Mono to introduce systematic precision in technical or code-adjacent content.
Pairs well with
Bona Nova at a glance
Capitalics, Mateusz Machalski, Andrzej Heidrich
SIL Open Font License 1.1
April 2021
September 2025
3 (2 weights + italics)
Serif
7
Google Fonts
All 3 Bona Nova styles
| Weight | Name | Upright | Italic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 400 | Regular | Aa Bb Gg 123 | Aa Bb Gg 123 |
| 700 | Bold | Aa Bb Gg 123 | Not available |
Bona Nova character map
Which languages does Bona Nova support?
Bona Nova includes 7 character sets:
- Cyrillic: Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Serbian and other Cyrillic-script languages
- Cyrillic Extended: additional Cyrillic letters used in languages such as Kazakh, Tatar and Bashkir
- Greek: modern Greek
- Hebrew: Hebrew and Yiddish
- 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
- Vietnamese: Vietnamese, including its stacked tone marks
Can I use Bona Nova commercially?
Yes, it's free for personal and commercial use. Bona Nova 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.