Mark’s Notebook

It was twenty years ago today that I released the first version of Proxima Nova. I’d spent the previous two and a half years working on it as a redesign of Proxima Sans, which I released through FontHaus in 1994.

For whatever reason, Proxima Sans never really became very popular. Part of it no doubt was that it was a small family of only three weights: Regular, Medium, and Black, plus italic for each. The character set was minimal, basically covering the default Mac and Windows, with a few rarely-used math characters replaced by dingbats and extra characters. This was before OpenType and Unicode were standard and there were a lot of questionable practices.

Sales of licenses were not great. It didn’t help that Proxima Sans was added to the FontHaus catalog before the font was available for purchase (my fault). I didn’t finish it until months later. I saw it used here and there, but it seems like a dud.

In 2002, two things happened.

First, Hoefler & Frere-Jones released Gotham to the general public. Previously, it was exclusive to GQ magazine, in use since 2000. I wasn’t a GQ reader, so this was the first I had become aware of it. It was very well designed, but weirdly similar to Proxima Sans, and getting a lot of attention in the design community.

The first issue of Rolling Stone featuring Proxima Sans, from September 2002, seen in the small text on the cover.

Second, late in 2002, magazine designer Matthew Ball did a redesign of Rolling Stone and used Proxima Sans extensively for headlines, captions, subheads and small text, along side Frederic Goudy’s Kennerly for running text. This was the most prominent use of Proxima Sans.

I learned later in a conversation with Jonathan Hoefler that this was the first time they’d ever seen Proxima Sans, thinking it was Gotham at first and wondering how they were using it without a license.

These two things convinced me that there was indeed a market for something like Proxima Sans, and that I should take advantage of this to expand its range of weights and styles, and to take advantage of the OpenType format by adding better language support and other typographic niceties, like small caps and alternate characters.

In doing the redesign, I did more than add to what I’d done before in Proxima Sans. I redrew nearly all the characters and changed the weighting scheme, making the Regular a little lighter and pushing the range of weights further. I realized very quickly that it wouldn’t be backward-compatible with Proxima Sans at all, so I came up with a new name—Proxima Nova, taking a cue from Century Nova, the final addition to ATF’s Century family in 1964, and one of the last foundry typefaces to be released.

Flash animation announcing Proxima Nova from my site in 2005.

After two and a half years of intensive work, and the help of a small group of beta testers (including Stephen Coles, Tim Martens, and Dirk Benedict), I released Proxima Nova on June 30, 2005, initially through direct sales through my own website (with a discount if you were a Proxima Sans user), and followed by Veer (January 2006), FontShop (February 2006), and MyFonts (July 2007).

The first license was purchased by Addison Hall on July 1, 2005. It was a strong seller from the start compared to the other fonts I was selling at the time, and its popularity steadily grew. I also got an early boost from a little pamphlet that was produced by Yves Peters and distributed at TypeCon 2005 in New York City which included Proxima Nova in his reviews of favorite new typeface releases of 2005.

The original Typekit logo, pre-Adobe.

What really sent it to the top of the charts was Typekit in 2009. This was initially an independent startup, founded by Jeff Veen. Web designer Jason Santa Maria who was working with Typekit in the early days invited me to participate. It started out slowly and then shot up to become the most popular way to use custom webfonts. By the time Typekit was acquired by Adobe, Proxima Nova had become the most popular commercial font on the web. It’s still at the top.

Its popularity extended beyond the web—probably because of its popularity there. Here are some of my favorite examples:

Proxima Nova has grown well beyond my initial release, with a greatly expanded character set (including support for Greek and Cyrillic and, more recently, Arabic, Hebrew, Thai, Hangeul, Tamil, and Devanagari, thanks to my relationship with The Type Founders). From a family of 42 fonts (seven weights, three widths, plus italics), it’s grown to 80 (eight weights, five widths, plus italics).

The growth and popularity of Proxima Nova in the last twenty years is beyond my wildest, most optimistic expectations when I released it in 2005, much less when I released Proxima Sans in 1994. It’s the dream of every type designer but almost never happens. I feel incredibly lucky and grateful to everyone who has helped along the way, and especially to all the designers who decided that it was the best font for the job.

I designed Proxima Nova to be adaptable—something that could hold its own in everything from editorial layouts to brand systems to UI. It’s been exciting to see it used in all of those ways and more. Following up on my previous post exploring fonts similar to Proxima Nova, I wanted to dig a little deeper into how Proxima Nova works in combination with other typefaces—serif and otherwise. One of the most common questions I still get is: what pairs well with it?

If you haven’t yet explored Proxima Sera, it’s worth a look. I designed it specifically to work alongside Proxima Nova, it may be just what your next project needs. However, I don’t believe there’s a one-size-fits-all answer—it really depends on the tone you’re after. So, I thought it might be useful to share some more pairing ideas. I asked my colleagues at The Type Founders to pull together a selection of typefaces from their catalog that complement Proxima Nova’s structure, rhythm, and personality—whether they offer contrast, harmony, or just a fresh tone…

At The Type Founders, we work with many foundries and get to see how designers use Proxima Nova in real-world projects. The serif pairings below represent some of the strongest combinations we’ve seen and recommend—whether you’re setting long-form text, designing packaging, or building a brand system.

Fonts That Pair Well With Proxima Nova

Fields (Adam Ladd Design)

Fields offers a gentle take on the soft serif, with rounded contours and open counters. It softens the clean geometry of Proxima Nova just enough to feel inviting—great for wellness brands, lifestyle publishing, or any tone that blends structure with friendliness.

Fenway (Carter & Cone)

With its engraved roots and editorial polish, Fenway adds a historic tone to Proxima Nova’s modern baseline. A unique pairing that works well in branding or cultural publishing.

Georgia (Carter & Cone)

A web workhorse with classic proportions, Georgia’s friendliness and clarity make it an effective match for Proxima Nova. This is a utilitarian duo that feels familiar but reliable—especially in web-based applications.

Miller (Carter & Cone)

A modern revival of the Scotch Roman, Miller brings contrast, elegance, and a literary tone that pairs beautifully with Proxima Nova’s clean, contemporary feel. Great for publications, branding, or anywhere you want a classic-modern mix.

Richmond (Carter & Cone)

Designed for newspaper text, Richmond’s formal construction and consistent rhythm, contrasts nicely with Proxima Nova’s modern geometry. A great fit for institutions, tech companies, or minimalist editorial design.

Stilson (Carter & Cone)

Stilson strikes a balance between traditional and modern. Its compact forms and crisp detailing echo Proxima Nova’s sense of control, while adding warmth and structure. Ideal for editorial or corporate communications.

Addington (Connary Fagen Fonts)

Addington is a modern serif with a large x-height and open counters, which naturally complements Proxima Nova. The two share a readability and practicality that works well in professional settings—especially web and product UI.

Visby Slab (Connary Fagen Fonts)

A slab serif with contemporary crispness, Visby Slab adds weight and confidence next to Proxima Nova. Use this pairing when you want to keep things modern but grounded—great for tech or product branding.

Urge Text (Dave Rowland Type)

Urge’s energetic brush-inspired forms contrast nicely with Proxima Nova’s restraint. This pairing is playful and attention-grabbing—great for headlines, posters, or branding with a pulse.

Freight Big (Freight Collection)

With a range of serif and sans styles, Freight offers expressive contrast to Proxima Nova’s clean precision. Whether you’re using Freight Big for dramatic headlines or Freight Text for elegant body copy, the pairing brings warmth and sophistication to editorial, branding, and content-rich design.

Century New Style (Ludlow)

This American transitional serif brings a sense of tradition and print-era authority to Proxima Nova’s modernism. Slightly narrower than Proxima Sera, it offers a timeless pairing with wide applications—from editorial to education to cultural institutions.

IvyBodoni (Ivy Foundry)

If you want high style and classic contrast, IvyBodoni delivers. It brings fashion-forward energy and elegance complementing the clean modernism of Proxima Nova. Use it in packaging, luxury branding, or magazine work.

IvyJournal (Ivy Foundry)

Elegant and contemporary, IvyJournal brings sharpness and refinement beautifully playing off Proxima Nova’s approachable geometry. It’s especially effective in luxury branding or magazine layouts where tone and texture matter.

IvyMode (Ivy Foundry)

A modern sans with a stylized twist, IvyMode feels like a natural cousin to Proxima Nova. While Proxima Nova holds down the fort in text and UI settings, IvyMode shines in display—bringing expressive detailing and a layer of warmth that adds personality to headlines, packaging, or brand touchpoints.

IvyOra (Ivy Foundry)

IvyOra’s delicate contrast and wide proportions offer a refined, editorial pairing to Proxima Nova. The two balance approachability with sophistication.

IvyPresto (Ivy Foundry)

Full of typographic flourish, IvyPresto contrasts Proxima Nova’s restraint with personality and sophistication. Use this combo when you want expressive display typography alongside clean body text.

Novantique Serif (Laura Worthington Design)

Novantique’s mix of calligraphic angles and old style warmth brings character to Proxima Nova’s structured cool. This pairing adds tension and texture—great for artistic brands, book covers, or unconventional identity systems.

Meno (Lipton Letter Design)

Meno’s high-contrast forms and refined details add drama and sophistication to Proxima Nova’s clean neutrality. The pairing shines when Meno is used for headlines or pull quotes and Proxima Nova for body text—ideal for editorial, fashion, or luxury branding.

Bookmania (Mark Simonson Studio)

If you want a serif that feels classic but not stuffy, Bookmania is a great option. Its swashes and expressive curves bring contrast without clashing, and the spacing pairs well with Proxima Nova’s rhythm. Works well in publishing, packaging, or expressive identity systems.

Etna (Mark Simonson Studio)

Etna offers a condensed, vintage-inspired voice that gives Proxima Nova a sturdy, utilitarian companion. This combination feels at home in Americana-flavored branding and editorial design.

Proxima Sera (Mark Simonson Studio)

Designed as the natural serif companion to Proxima Nova, Proxima Sera mirrors its rhythm, spacing, and versatility—making it an ideal choice for harmonious pairings across brand systems, editorial, and UI. If you love the feel of Proxima Nova and want to extend it into serif territory, this is the most direct and refined way to do it.

Viroqua (Mark Simonson Studio)

With its sturdy serifs and generous spacing, Viroqua pairs well with Proxima Nova in layouts that require legibility and structure. It’s a flexible choice for editorial and informational design.

Roca (My Creative Land)

Roca’s curved serifs and soft details introduce an organic warmth to Proxima Nova’s precision. This pairing feels stylish without being loud, and works beautifully for boutique brands, editorial layouts, or packaging.

British Slab (Vintage Voyage Design)

British Slab combines retro charm with sturdy structure. Its blocky serifs and expressive design bring a friendly personality to Proxima Nova’s polish—ideal for quirky brands or creative agencies.

Choosing the Right Pairing

When pairing Proxima Nova with another typeface, consider:

• Tone: Do you want elegance, utility, or something expressive?
• Spacing & Proportions: Fonts with similar rhythm or contrast can help your layout feel more unified.
• Scale: The relative size of each typeface affects how well they complement each other. Too little difference can exaggerate conflict—while a clear contrast in scale can make even unlikely pairings work.
• Structural Contrast vs. Uniformity: Do you want a pairing that emphasizes contrast (e.g., serif vs. sans) or one that reinforces a consistent typographic voice?
• Use Case: Some pairings shine in display, others in long-form text. Choose based on the format you’re designing for.
  And don’t forget—Proxima Nova itself includes alternate characters and stylistic sets that can subtly shift its tone. Try pairing those tweaks with a serif to find a fresh new voice.
  
  
  

FAQs: Fonts That Pair Well With Proxima Nova

What font pairs best with Proxima Nova?
Proxima Sera is the most direct companion, but others like Ivy Journal, Bookmania, and Stilson offer great contrast with complementary tone.

Can I pair Proxima Nova with a display serif?
Absolutely—try Ivy Presto, Meno Banner, or Freight Big for high-impact headings next to clean sans body copy.

Is Proxima Nova a good body font?
Yes. Its open shapes and wide range of weights make it highly legible, especially on screen.

Where can I get Proxima Nova and its recommended pairings?
You can license Proxima Nova and Proxima Sera directly from Mark Simonson Studio. Other fonts listed here are available from foundries within The Type Founders’ catalog.

Should I use the same size for both fonts?
Not necessarily. Different typefaces often need to be sized differently to look visually balanced, especially when combining a serif and a sans. The right size depends on the specific fonts you’re using and how they function within the hierarchy of your layout. Always test in context.

Final Thoughts

This list offers a strong starting point for pairing Proxima Nova with complementary or contrasting typefaces. Typography is as much about feel as it is about function—so test widely and trust your instincts.

Thanks for reading.

Want more on typography and design? Check out my posts on fonts similar to Proxima Nova and geometric sans serifs.

It’s always nice to hear that Proxima Nova has become a go-to for so many people. I designed it to bridge the gap between geometric sans serifs like Futura and workhorse grotesques like Helvetica—something versatile, readable, and a bit more human. Apparently, that combination struck a chord.

From time to time, I get asked if there are fonts similar to Proxima Nova. It might seem a little odd to recommend alternatives to my own work, but over the years, type and graphic designers have been very generous to me — so I’m happy to highlight some of the great work happening in that same space. Every designer benefits from having a diverse library of well-made typefaces to choose from.

I asked my colleagues at The Type Founders to pull together a list of fonts that share some of the same qualities people often look for in Proxima Nova: a balance of geometric and grotesque structure, wide family versatility, and clean everyday usability. In addition, they’ve helped aggregate fonts that pair well with Proxima Nova, that may be of interest. I’ll hand it off to them from here.

Thanks to Mark for inviting us to share this list. At The Type Founders, we spend a lot of time immersed in type, and we regularly get to see which fonts designers reach for as alternatives to Proxima Nova. The following recommendations reflect some of our favorites—versatile, well-crafted typefaces that live in a similar space.

Fonts Similar to Proxima Nova

Franklin Gothic by American Type Founders

Sometimes the classics are classics for a reason. Franklin Gothic was one of Mark’s original references when designing Proxima Nova. Mark van Bronkhorst’s re-digitization brings it into the present day while preserving the warmth and utility that made it so influential.

Forma DJR by David Jonathan Ross

A contemporary revival of a mid-century neo-grotesque, Forma is crisp, rational, and elegantly structured. Where Proxima Nova leans warm and humanist, Forma is cooler and more deliberate. It’s a strong choice for clean editorial work or minimal branding systems.

IvyEpic & IvyGothic by Ivy Foundry

These companion families from Jan Maack each offer a unique spin: IvyEpic is cinematic and modern, while IvyGothic blends historical grotesque flavor with contemporary polish. Both work well for designers who want to add style while staying in the Proxima Nova wheelhouse.

Sundry by J Foundry

Sundry veers more humanist than Proxima Nova, with open counters and relaxed curves. It feels casual but refined, and retains a similar sense of everyday usability.

Datei Grotesk by Kontour

Datei Grotesk is stripped-down and precise, with a mechanical tone and tight spacing. Its minimalism and strength make it ideal for publication or information design, especially where typographic structure carries the weight.

Bruta by &Discover

Bolder and more architectural than Proxima Nova, Bruta channels a squarer, industrial tone. It offers a similar versatility but with more bite—great for impactful layouts that still need balance.

New Hero by Newlyn

Designed for signage and wayfinding, New Hero is clean, sharp, and purposeful. Compared to Proxima Nova, it’s a touch more angular and assertive—ideal for digital interfaces or any application where clarity is key.

Shapiro by OGJ Type

Shapiro blends a neo-grotesque foundation with refined styling and subtle quirks. It feels tailored and polished, especially in display sizes. If Proxima Nova is your body text standby, Shapiro could be your next headline font.

Gibbs by Typetanic

Gibbs is a smart, editorial take on the workhorse sans. It’s ideal for print—book covers, magazines, and longer-form reading—with a tone that feels both contemporary and rooted. It also shares Proxima Nova’s structural clarity and balance.

Draft by Yellow Design Studio

Draft walks a similar line between geometric and grotesque, with slightly narrower proportions and sharp, thoughtful terminals. It’s crisp, modern, and highly usable across UI and editorial contexts alike.

Choosing the Right Alternative

When evaluating a Proxima Nova alternative, consider which aspects matter most to your project:

• Do you need an extensive family with multiple weights and widths?
• Is it the geometric-meets-grotesque balance that stands out?
• Do you want something with similar proportions but a different personality?

It’s worth noting that Proxima Nova includes alternate characters and stylistic sets that can subtly shift its tone. Designers might find what they need within those features before switching typefaces entirely.

Some of the fonts above shine at display sizes, while others are optimized for body text. Each brings its own perspective on utility and tone—just like Proxima Nova.

FAQs: Fonts Like Proxima Nova

What Google font is similar to Proxima Nova?
Fonts like Montserrat and Nunito Sans share some qualities with Proxima Nova and might work well when budget is a concern. They lack the breadth and refinement of premium families, but are often solid choices for web projects.

What about Adobe Fonts?
Adobe Fonts includes strong options like Franklin Gothic and Forma DJR. Both share structural traits with Proxima Nova and offer wide utility within the Adobe platform.

What’s the closest font to Proxima Nova?
Draft by Yellow Design Studio and Gibbs by Typetanic come closest in feel and versatility.

Is Proxima Nova a free font?
No. Proxima Nova is a premium font family, though it is included with Adobe Fonts for Creative Cloud users.

What makes Proxima Nova so popular?
Its balance of friendliness and professionalism, extensive family range, and versatility in both display and text make it a modern classic.

Can I use Proxima Nova as a web font?
Yes. It’s available via Adobe Fonts and direct license from Mark Simonson’s site.

What is the best font pairing with Proxima Nova?
Serif companions like Chaparral, Mercury Text, Minion, Georgia, or Miller complement Proxima Nova’s rhythm and modern tone beautifully.

Closing Thoughts

Thanks for reading—I hope this list gave you some new directions to explore.

Before we wrap up, I’ll offer one personal recommendation of my own: Synergy, a typeface I designed that shares some of Proxima Nova’s practical versatility but with a very different sensibility. Synergy draws more from the Swiss modernist tradition and has slightly more condensed proportions, giving it a more formal, constructed tone.

It’s not meant to be a direct replacement, but if you’re looking for something clean and professional with a little more edge, it might be a good fit.

Typography today offers a wealth of options, and it’s a pleasure to see how designers use and interpret them. Whether you stick with Proxima Nova or branch out to something new, I appreciate you including my work in your process.

Looking for more insights about typography and font selection? Check out my other articles on geometric sans serifs and font pairing strategies.

Sketch from about 1981.

Synergy started as an idea I had about 1981. I found a couple of sketches in my collection of typeface ideas going back to the seventies, which I started scanning and organizing in 2009. I don’t remember a lot about this particular idea except that I was aiming for a “Scandinavian” feel (whatever that meant to me at the time) and that the 1970s Allstate logo was an influence.

Early drafts.

I thought it was a promising idea and did a draft of the lowercase in a couple of weights in 2012, then another draft in 2018, which included capitals and a full range of weights from very thin to very bold, using three “masters.” (Masters are used in modern type design to generate intermediate weights automatically from a small set of key drawings.)

Weights and styles of Synergy.

Then, in 2024, I decided to complete the design, adding a set of italics for all weights and features such as small caps and old style figures.

Synergy is basically a neo-grotesque along the lines of Swiss faces such as Univers, but with a two-story “g” more characteristic of British and American models. This wasn’t a deliberate decision, but I think the constraints I gave myself—even somewhat narrow proportions, squarish curves, squared-off stroke endings—steered me in that direction. I think I succeeded in giving it more warmth than this type of design usually has, thanks to some subtle details in the curve endings, and the two-story “g” relieves the monotony in text.

The two-story “g” and subtle details in the curved stroke endings are reminiscent of British grotesques.

I was careful to make sure Synergy works well in text in the middle range of the weights. It also works for display use, and the extreme weights (Hairline, Thin, and Ultra) are intended exclusively for that.

A text sample.

Synergy has nine weights. If that’s not enough, there is also a variable version. It features small caps (with matching punctuation) and old style figures in all styles. It has support for most Latin-based languages and currencies, arbitrary fractions, and a set of matching dingbats.

A small sampling of the character set.

Synergy is available now. More information here.

When I decided to sell the rights to my library of fonts to The Type Founders in 2021, one of the big reasons for me was the ever-growing burden of maintaining and developing that library.

As a one-person studio, there was only so much I could do. Proxima Nova had become very popular since I released it in 2005, and I regularly got requests to expand its language coverage.

At first, I did this task myself, adding support for Greek and Vietnamese in 2009 and Cyrillic in 2010. Even though I can’t read languages that use these writing systems, they were close enough to the Latin alphabet that I felt sufficiently confident to design them. But I’ve always felt out of my depth as a type designer even thinking about designing non-Latin fonts.

Still, I could see that adding even more language support would make a lot of sense for such a popular type family. Theoretically, I could hire other designers and production people to help, either as employees or as contractors. But that would mean managing those people, something I know I’m not very good at.

I like working by myself, and I would rather spend my time working on new typefaces.

It was around the time I was thinking about these problems back in 2019 that I was approached by Paley Dreier (now Managing Partner of The Type Founders) about selling my font library. It was something I’d never thought about before, but I eventually realized that it would be a neat solution to my problems. I would be relieved of the burden of maintaining and expanding my existing fonts, giving me time to focus on designing and releasing new fonts—which is what I’ve been doing for the last few years, with the release of Proxima Sera, Dreamboat, Proxima Nova Wide and Extra Wide, Viroqua, Cheesecake, Madcap, Gertie, and Skin & Bones. In fact, I’m currently working on a new sans serif family, the first since Proxima Nova, if you don’t count display faces.

In the meantime, The Type Founders has been working to expand language support for Proxima Nova, with the aid of some really talented type designers from around the world. We’ve dubbed the fruits of this effort Proxima Super Nova.

In addition to most Western and Eastern European Latin, Greek, Vietnamese, and Cyrillic, Proxima Nova now supports Arabic, Devanagari, and Thai (both looped and loopless). More writing systems are in the works, including Hebrew and Hangeul.

Check out the Proxima Super Nova mini-site to find out all about it.

If you have any questions, are interested in extended or enterprise licensing, or need additional language support or customizations, get in touch! Send a note to info@marksimonson.com

A big thanks to the following people:

Proxima Nova Thai: Smich Smanloh of Cadson Demak

Proxima Nova Devanagari: Vaibhav Singh and Alessia Mazzarella of Typeland

Proxima Nova Arabic: Khajag Apelian and Wael Morcos

The mini-site: Elliot Jay Stocks (site design and content development) and Roel Nieskens (site development)

Project management and production support: Glenda Bellarosa and Dyana Weissman

Last week I did a talk for Type Tuesday in Minneapolis where I did a live demo of early font editors on a real Macintosh Plus. I’ve uploaded a video recording of it on YouTube, or you can watch it here.

6/27/24 Update: I’ve also posted a video about the story behind the Mac Plus I used for my Type Tuesday talk: