Work Sans
Work Sans is a typeface family based loosely on early Grotesques, such as those by Stephenson Blake , Miller & Richard and Bauerschen Giesserei . The Regular weight and others in the middle of the family are optimised for on-screen text usage at medium-sizes (14px-48px) and can also be used in print design. The fonts closer to the extreme weights are designed more for display use both on the web and in print. Overall, features are simplified and optimised for screen resolutions; for example, diacritic marks are larger than how they would be in print. A version optimised for desktop applications is available from the Work Sans github project page. The Work Sans project is led by Wei Huang, a type designer from Australia. To contribute, see github.com/weiweihuanghuang/Work-Sans Updated August 2015: All styles were updated to v1.40 to change the Thin (100) style to be the same as 'HairLine' in previous versions - even thinner! This avoids the complication of a second "Hairline" family. The ExtraLight (200) and Light (300) styles also changed accordingly. Reflow will occur from previous versions on these weights. Updated February 2020: Family has been upgraded to a variable font family.
- Classification
- Sans
- Foundry
- License
- free
- Source
- Get this font ↗
01Style templates
Work Sans for the heading, Bitter for the body.
02Suggested pairings
AaBbCc
0123456789
{(!@#$?&})
05Type scale
Waterfall · 64 → 16 pxDesign starts with a question.
Good letters carry the memory of the pen.
A soft serif with old-style warmth, drawn for display sizes and unhurried reading.
This typeface borrows the melting charm of phototype and rebuilds it, patiently, for the screen.
At text sizes the warmth settles into something quieter: open counters, a generous x-height, and forms that curve rather than cut. It reads like a well-worn paperback — familiar, unhurried, and slightly mischievous.
06Weights
9 styles07In context
Text settingsGood letters carry the memory of the pen.
The brief asked for warmth without nostalgia, and authority without sternness. Work Sans answered both at once — a face that feels typeset by hand yet holds up at retinal resolutions. At this size it settles into an unhurried rhythm: generous spacing, open counters, and letterforms that carry tone before they announce themselves.
Small sizes are where display faces usually apologise for themselves. Work Sans does not. Drop into text and the texture tightens into a competent, readable grey — open counters, a generous x-height, and forms that curve rather than cut. At text sizes the warmth settles into something quieter: familiar, unhurried, and slightly mischievous. It reads like a well-worn paperback, holding its voice across captions, footnotes, and long paragraphs without flattening into noise. Paired with a neutral grotesque for wayfinding and labels, it gives an identity system exactly one strong opinion — usually the right number — while the body keeps doing the quiet work underneath.
08Character set
Hover a glyph to inspect09About Work Sans
Work Sans is a typeface family based loosely on early Grotesques, such as those by Stephenson Blake , Miller & Richard and Bauerschen Giesserei . The Regular weight and others in the middle of the family are optimised for on-screen text usage at medium-sizes (14px-48px) and can also be used in print design. The fonts closer to the extreme weights are designed more for display use both on the web and in print. Overall, features are simplified and optimised for screen resolutions; for example, diacritic marks are larger than how they would be in print. A version optimised for desktop applications is available from the Work Sans github project page. The Work Sans project is led by Wei Huang, a type designer from Australia. To contribute, see github.com/weiweihuanghuang/Work-Sans Updated August 2015: All styles were updated to v1.40 to change the Thin (100) style to be the same as 'HairLine' in previous versions - even thinner! This avoids the complication of a second "Hairline" family. The ExtraLight (200) and Light (300) styles also changed accordingly. Reflow will occur from previous versions on these weights. Updated February 2020: Family has been upgraded to a variable font family.