There was a time—back in letterpress printing’s heyday and prior to halftone screening—when a printer would “design” a broadside with every typeface he had in house. Today, the Mies van der Rohe principle of “less is more” is more accepted.

Even with a conservative approach, choosing typefaces that combine well can be a challenge. It seems this aspect of typography is rarely given enough attention. Until now.

Before you read any further, be advised it’s best to review the categories page first. So, I’ll wait here.

Back already? Okay, let’s proceed. As a starting point, here are three rules for combining type ...

1. Go for contrast. If you mix something similar, like a Transitional and a Modern typeface, it may appear like a mistake.

2. Mr. Obvious says, “Combine a serif and a sans serif.” This adds in automatic contrast, but there are still choices to make beyond this initial one.

3. If one is a novelty font, keep the other(s) simple. Look again at the list on the left. Everything under the novelty heading should be set at larger sizes (16 points and up). Since they command attention, it’s best not to compete with them. Combine either a geometric or grotesque sans.

With that, we are left with just the nine serif and sans serif sub-categories. Phew.