Smashing Newsletter: Issue #554

Editorial

In times of limited attention, the one skill that becomes more valuable is how we communicate that thing that we want to say. Communication, however, depends on how we put words together and on the typefaces we use to convey them more effectively. And in this newsletter, we look into how to do exactly that — from UI typography and mixing typefaces to dyslexia-friendly fonts.

We are currently in Amsterdam for our very first SmashingConf Amsterdam, and you can still tune in and get an online ticket. We’ve also been working on the next conferences — in mysterious Freiburg, or perhaps charming Antwerp.

And, of course, we have new online workshops coming up soon as well:

Naming Design Systems Design Systems
with Samantha Gordashko. Apr 20 – May 4
UX Leadership and Influence UX
with Joe Natoli. Apr 23 – May 7
Resilient & Maintainable CSS Dev
with Miriam Suzanne. June 2–10
Design Patterns For AI Interfaces UX
with Vitaly Friedman. Jun 16–30
How To Measure UX & Design Impact UX
with Vitaly Friedman. Video course + live UX training/li>
Jump to all workshops →

We hope to see you there!

— Vitaly

1. Self-Hosting Fonts

Self-hosting fonts has quite some benefits compared to loading fonts from a third-party CDN, particularly for EU-based sites, where loading fonts from Google’s servers violates GDPR. If you plan to self-host your fonts, be sure to check out FontSelf. The site lets you browse more than 1,400 font families and, once you know which one you want to self-host, it provides you with the necessary assets to get everything up and running.

2. Free UI Typography eBook

What do you need to consider to create good UI typography? That’s exactly the question that Alex Baranov explores in his book User Interface Typography. It covers everything from readability and choosing typefaces to modular scale, vertical rhythm, responsive typography, and tables. You can read the first edition of the book online, for free.

3. Dyslexia-Friendly Fonts

Fonts like Open Dyslexic or Lexie Readable were designed to improve the reading experience for people with dyslexia. However, as many studies show, they don’t offer an advantage. In his conversation with Eleni Beveratou, Oliver Schöndorfer debunks the myths around dyslexia-friendly fonts and what you can do instead to improve readability for everyone, without harming the aesthetic of your project.

4. Fonts Knowledge Hub

Whether you’re new to typography or an experienced designer who wants to get up-to-date on current trends, Fonts Knowledge is a treasure chest of typography wisdom. Produced by the Google Fonts team in collaboration with experts from around the world, the library covers everything from typographic history to variable fonts, accessibility, and more to enable designers and developers of all skill sets to choose and use type with purpose.

5. Fonts In Use

Looking for some font inspiration? Fonts In Use is always a trusty resource when you want to discover new fonts or font pairings. The archive features typographic artifacts of all kinds — from packaging and posters to editorial design, brand design, movie title sequences, and much more. You can browse and filter the collection by topics, formats, and typefaces.

6. Combining Typefaces

Combining typefaces might sometimes feel like an art that is hard to master, but with the right strategy, it doesn’t have to be. Tim Brown’s Pocket Guide to Combining Typefaces is a wonderful resource that helps you take the guesswork out of your type decisions. Available as a free PDF, the book equips you with a framework for efficiently combining typefaces and the know-how you need to judge the work you see, including your own.

Also be sure to check out Connary Fagen’s Font Pairing Guide that dives into all the aspects you need to consider to create great font combinations and the Google Fonts Pairings Figma file featuring nine templates with hand-picked font pairings that you can use instantly.

7. Precise Type

A smooth, consistent type scale brings rhythm and balance to a design, and, well, if you plan to create one, Precise Type does the heavy lifting for you. With simple yet precise models for font size, line height, and letter spacing, the tool offers a complete solution for designing type scales and type systems, with just a few clicks.

8. Accessible UX Research, Now Shipping 📚

We’ve got exciting news! Our newest Smashing book, Accessible UX Research by Michele A. Williams, is finally shipping worldwide! Get the book right away or order the eBook for instant download.

Accessible UX Research is your practical guide to making UX research more inclusive of participants with different needs — from planning and recruiting to facilitation, asking better questions, avoiding bias, and building trust. Download a free sample (PDF, 2.3MB) or get the book right away.

9. Upcoming Workshops and Conferences

That’s right! We run online workshops on frontend and design, be it accessibility, performance, or design patterns. In fact, we have a couple of workshops coming up soon, and we thought that, you know, you might want to join in as well.

Smashing Online Events — With online workshops, we aim to give you the same experience and access to experts as in an in-person workshop from wherever you are.

As always, here’s a quick overview:

Naming Design Systems Design Systems
with Samantha Gordashko. Apr 20 – May 4
UX Leadership and Influence UX
with Joe Natoli. Apr 23 – May 7
Resilient & Maintainable CSS Dev
with Miriam Suzanne. June 2–10
Design Patterns For AI Interfaces UX
with Vitaly Friedman. Jun 16–30
How To Measure UX & Design Impact UX
with Vitaly Friedman. Video course + live UX training/li>
Jump to all workshops →

That’s All, Folks!

Thank you so much for reading and for your support in helping us keep the web dev and design community strong with our newsletter. See you next time!

This newsletter issue was written and edited by Geoff Graham (gg), Cosima Mielke (cm), Vitaly Friedman (vf), and Iris Lješnjanin (il).

April 14, 2026 Smashing Newsletter: Issue #554

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